From chainsaw art to high-tech birdhouses, along with pottery, jewelry and paintings, there’s a little bit of everything at an upcoming crafts fair at Gunstock Ski Resort in Gilford. For two days, more than 120 individual exhibitors will offer wares that are unaffected by tariffs — everything’s made in America, mostly in New England.
The event is one of several organized by Joyce’s Craft Shows. Joyce Endee is a former educator who turned to her quilting hobby when she grew frustrated with the job market more than 30 years ago. Promoting crafts shows came naturally, she said in a recent phone interview.
“I turned my passion into a business,” she said. “I was a business teacher, so I liked doing marketing and advertising. It’s been very good to me, and I’ve made a lot of good friends. I care about these people; I hope that sets me apart…. I work to help them be successful. They’re exhibitors, but by and large, these are all artists too.”
The fair is not just a marketplace; it’s an immersive experience that offers glimpses into the creative process. One of the best is a demonstration by an artist who takes a chainsaw to large chunks of reclaimed trees and sculpts intricate figures, all without sketching a design beforehand.
“She doesn’t even draw on the wood, she just does it from her brain, and it’s amazing,” Endee said of Sanbornton wood carver Elise Ford. “She carves beautiful bears and a whole different group of birds, like cardinals. And then she’ll stain them — the bears will typically be black, the cardinals, obviously, red.”
The live artistry continues with a potter who’ll be working on a wheel, showcasing traditional ceramic techniques. Other craftspeople will be spinning yarn and creating handmade jewelry. Some artists offer customization of their works, Endee said. “I have a wonderful exhibitor that makes his own charcuterie boards and cutting boards, which he will personalize, so it makes them extra special.”
There are some options for those interested in what Endee calls “true art,” but it’s really a crafts show.
“I do have artists; I have one that does watercolors of mountains, and people love his work,” she said. “He does very well because I have a lot of shows in the mountains. I don’t have a lot of acrylic artists; I’m always looking.”
Endee emphasizes that her fair offers a way to support both the local economy and its arts.
“These people have amazing creativity, and I’m very proud of them,” she said.
4th of July Weekend Craft Fair When: Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Where: Gunstock Mountain Resort, 719 Cherry Valley Road, Gilford More: joycescraftshows.com
More Fourth of July events Concord also celebrates on Friday, July 4; festivities start at 6 p.m. in Memorial Field with food vendors and music followed by fireworks at 9:20 p.m., according to the city’s parks and rec summer brochure. See concordnh.gov.
Manchester’s Independence Day celebration starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, in Arms Park with vendors and DJ Adam Furious, according to the city’s Economic Development office’s Facebook page. Fireworks are at 9 p.m. The NH Fisher Cats game on Thursday is also slated to have fireworks; gametime is 6:35 p.m. versus the Portland Sea Dogs. See milb.com/new-hampshire.
Merrimack’s Fourth of July celebration include a patriotic concert on Thursday, July 3, at 6 p.m. in Abbie Griffin Park; a parade on Friday, July 4, at 1 p.m. and fireworks at Merrimack High School that evening at 9:15 p.m., according to merrimackparksandrec.org.
Amherst’s July 4th celebration starts at 9 a.m. on Friday with food vendors and activities on the Village Green, according to the Amherst NH July 4th Committee Facebook page. A children’s bike parade is at 9:45 p.m., before the main parade at 10 a.m. See amherstnh4th.org.
Nashua’s July 4 celebration starts at 11 a.m. with a Silver Knights game at Holman Stadium (first 500 adults and children under 12 get in free; reserve tickets in advance at nashuasilverknights.com). A free concert with The Slakas starts at 5:30 p.m. followed by other local acts at 7:30 p.m., the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps at 8:30 p.m. and fireworks at dusk. See nashua.gov.
New Boston’s July 4 happenings are at the Hillsborough County Youth Center Fairgrounds, where the gates open at 4 p.m. and offerings include kids’ activities, food, live music and more before fireworks at approximately 9:30 p.m., according to newboston4thofjuly.org and the organization’s Facebook page.
Where to pick your own strawberries, blueberries, cherries and more throughout the growing season
This is an outstanding strawberry season. This spring’s heavier than usual rainfall has been great for the berries. Recent hot, sunny weather has ripened berries to a sweeter than usual, larger than usual, more abundant than usual degree. All indications point to this being true for blueberries, raspberries and blackberries as well. If you are the sort of cook who likes to can or freeze berries, this is your year to pick exactly what you want, and as much of it as you like. Alternatively, if you’ve always dreamed of taking your family berry-picking in large sun hats, this is also your year.
There are several good reasons to pick your own fruit and vegetables, but two stand out:
Variety Most of the varieties of produce in supermarkets are chosen for how well they travel and how long they will stay fresh. Flavor is much less important; after all, they won’t be able to sell bruised or overripe fruit. Local pick-your-own (PYO) farms don’t have to worry about shipping their crops across the country, so they can grow varieties that are especially delicious or delicate.
Freshness By picking your own fruit, you can have little doubt about how fresh it is.
Looking to pick your own strawberries (now) and apples (later)? These farms were Hippo readers top recommendations according to votes in this year’s Best Of survey.
Sunnycrest Farm
59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-9652, sunnycrestfarmnh.com
Currently, strawberries and cherries are every day from 7a.m. to 1 p.m. There are also strawberries and cherries in the farm market. Ice cream is available daily, from noon to 9 p.m. Farm market hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day. The market has fresh baked goods and local veggies, milk and honey, jams and syrup, and lots of New Hampshire-made products and locally crafted items. Call the hotline 603-432-9652 for any updated information. To speak to someone call the office number, 603-432-7753.
Daniel Hicks IV is a fourth-generation farmer and the owner of Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry. He said that barring unforeseen circumstances there will be PYO fruit available from now through the fall.
“Farming is a guessing game at best,” he said, “but strawberries are coming in now. Usually for the first week of July we have our blueberries and cherries. And then probably around the middle of July we will have our summer raspberries. Then in August we have our peaches, plums and apricots.”
Apples can start in late August, with pumpkins in September, according to the website.
Hicks said that although it might be a surprise to some of his customers, stone fruits grow well in New Hampshire.
“We’ve always grown stone fruit here,” he said. “My farm has been around since 1943, and I think we’ve grown peaches since the 1980s. It’s on and off because the stone fruit is such a sensitive crop — all it takes is one cold night in May to wipe out a whole crop. We’ve been lucky this year, though. We only had one frosty night we had to handle. We have a beautiful crop and the weather stayed warm when we wanted it to.”
Hicks personally looks forward to cherry season.
“I am the biggest cherry fan,” he said. “I adore cherries. Over the last seven years I’ve planted a bunch of newer varieties of cherries. I would say 80 percent sweet, 20 percent sour is what I have. And yeah, that’s my favorite on a personal level.”
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Strawberries and raspberries are available for picking now. Peaches and sunflowers will be available in August. Apples, pears, and pumpkins will be available from late August through Nov. 1. Mack’s sells ice cream topped with the farm’s own strawberries. Call the Mack’s hotline anytime for the latest picking conditions and to find out what varieties are ready, or follow Mack’s on Facebook and Instagram.
Christine Dresser is the PYO manager at Mack’s Apples. She’s excited about the farm’s new crop of raspberries.
“We’re doing strawberries right now,” she said. “And when strawberries are finished, we’ll be picking raspberries this year. That’s new for us. It’s our very first year for raspberries. We have some earlier peaches this year, too. Usually we start picking the peaches sometime in the middle of August but hopefully if all goes well we’ll be picking a new variety that will come out [at] the end of July. So we’ll be picking those and then we’ll go to the variety that we have been picking in the past. We’ve always had six varieties of peaches, but now we have a bunch of new trees coming in, so there’ll be more. This one variety is a little bit earlier than our other varieties, so hopefully we’ll be able to go soon after raspberries into the early peaches, and then into the peaches that we had right along. And then, while we’re finishing up peaches, we start with some of the summer apples, the earlier apples.”
While many customers remember to dress for warm conditions, Dresser said chilly weather often takes them by surprise.
“It’s usually windy at an orchard,” she said. “If it’s windy at your house, it will be windier here, because orchards tend to be on the tops of hills. I’m not sure why.”
Brookdale Fruit Farm
41 Broad St. in Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com
Cherries are currently available to be picked.Through the rest of the growing season blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, apples, pumpkins and late raspberries will be available. Visit brookdalefruitfarm.com/pickyourown or call the Brookdale Farm Hotline at 465-2240 for daily picking conditions. A farm stand is open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Zoey Stapp is a manager at Brookdale Fruit Farm. Her staff is preparing for a busy summer.
“It depends on the season, obviously,” she said, “and the weather and sports schedules and stuff, but on a good day we’ll have a couple hundred cars a day, at least, if not more. There will probably be at least 600 cars a day for apples. We’re quite a popular pick-your-own destination.”
Stapp confirmed that this is an unusually good year for strawberries.
“The strawberries are excellent,” she said. “They have great size on them, and really nice flavor. We’re just hoping we get some sun to kind of help ripen the berries.”
Stapp said one of the best times for PYO is in the middle of the week.
“Tuesday and Wednesday tend to be the quietest days,” she said. “So if you’re looking for a quiet excursion with easy-to-pick fruit, usually the fruit has had a chance to ripen from the weekend by Tuesday. Wednesday’s usually peak picking, I feel like you haven’t quite gotten the weekend crowds yet. But that being said, we have plenty of room. So even if it is a busy weekend day, the parking lot may look busy, but once you get out there you feel like you’re out by yourself. There’s not too many crowds, which is excellent. And there’s plenty of space for everyone to spread out and enjoy themselves.”
73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com
Blueberries will be available for PYO after July 4. Peaches will be available in August, and apples throughout the fall. Call for daily picking conditions.
Todd Larocque from Carter Hill Orchard and his staff are gearing up for blueberry picking, which, for Carter Hill, begins this weekend.
“We start [our season] with blueberries after the Fourth of July,” he said, “and then peaches in August and apples in the fall. The blueberries are looking really good. They’ve got some nice size to them, as well as the peaches and apples right now. It’s been a really wet spring.”
McQuesten Farm
330 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield, 424-9268, find them on Facebook
Strawberries are in season now. Later in the season, tomatoes, peppers, beets, carrots, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers, green beans, yellow beans, shell beans, romano flat beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, spinach, radishes and winter squash will be available. Call for daily conditions.
Like many PYO farms, McQuesten Farm has started its season with strawberries, said managing partner Christie McQuesten.
“Then in the summertime, we will open our fields and it’s never the same time every year because the growing season is always different. But we open our fields and people can pick their own just about everything we grow. They can pick tomatoes, peppers, sweet, bell, hot, doesn’t matter, beets, carrots, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, pickling cuke, green beans, yellow beans, shell beans, romano flat beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, spinach, radishes, winter squash, and then in the fall we have hay rides to the pumpkin field and they can pick their own pumpkins. We have all kinds of pumpkins too.”
Unlike most area PYO farms, other than strawberries, which are in season now, McQuesten Farm will not open for customers to pick fruit and vegetables until later in the summer, when most of its plants will be ready for picking at the same time.
“When our field’s open — usually it’s about the third week in August, but … the weather will determine that — it will be open for just about everything that you’re allowed to pick, with very few exceptions,” McQuesten said,
McQuesten said one of the most popular aspects of the farm with PYO customers is the farm animals.
“So we have animals that people can feed,” she said. “You cannot go inside with them, but we sell ice cream cones filled with grain that people can feed. We have lots of goats. We have a horse; they cannot feed him but they can see him. We have a Scottish Highland cow. We have guinea hens, we have ducks, we have geese, we have turkeys, and we have rabbits. The only farm animals we don’t have that a farm would typically have is a donkey and a pig, well, because they’re very loud.”
Strawberries are currently available for PYO at 89 Hoit Road, Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to noon. Check back later in the season for blueberries, raspberries, black currants and apples.
Diane Souther of Apple Hill Farm said this year’s blueberries look amazing.
Photo courtesy of Apple Hill Farm.
“They’re looking phenomenal this year,” she said. “It’s unbelievable how big they are for this time of year. I’ve been hearing that that’s a good year for the berries, especially the blueberries.” Also looking good are the grapes. “We have seedless table grapes,” she added. “They’ll start in the middle of August at some point. And then apples start early September.”
“There was some worry with all the rain, that the pollinators, you know, might not get the job done,” Souther said. “But it’s funny — I was mowing grass last night and I left one whole section that had white pollen on it and it was just loaded with bees. I mean even though it’s wet they have to eat too, so as soon as they come out, they come out.”
Souther said freshness is the main appeal for PYO customers.
“I think they’re looking for freshness,” she said. “They’re looking for an experience, some of them, and some just value the fresh berries because they’re much better than store-bought ones. There’s not going to be any middleman. They pick it now and they eat it tonight.”
In addition to PYO, there is a farm store that sells local products as well as produce from the farm. There is also a petting farm.
Melissa Dolloff from J&F Farms said J&F’s PYO business is split between two crops: “We’re hoping to have pick-your-own strawberries in the next week or so, but we’re just waiting for some sunshine so we can get them to ripen a little bit more. And then in the fall we will have pick-your-own pumpkins. And that’s pretty much it.”
But in the meantime, there are animals.
“We have a petting farm that’s open every day, seven days a week with our farm stand,” Dolloff said. “We have sheep, goats, cows, we have a donkey, a pig and it’s open every day that the farm stand is open. So seven days a week.” She said that the animals are super-popular with kids, especially the farm’s horse or goats.
“It kind of depends on the kids,” she said. “Some kids also really like the cows, too. But … we have a horse that’s very friendly; she’s always sticking her head out for attention, so she kind of captures everybody’s attention too. They all have their own little personalities.”
Berry Good Farm specializes in one thing: blueberries.
“We are strictly right now a You-Pick blueberry farm,” said farm owner Jeff Daniels. “[The farm] is about 6 acres. We have about 4,500 bushes. So it’s pretty busy over here. Generally we are open from about Fourth of July until the second week of August.”
He said this year’s heavy rain has been great for the berries.
“It closed down our ability to get out in the field, but the berry crops look fantastic. We have four different varieties here — Blue Ray, Blue Crop, Northland and Patriot — and they all look like they’re coming through terrific. They’re all basically good to eat, right off the bush, ready to go. The Northlands are more of a baking berry and the other three varieties are kind of the larger crop, big, larger berries.”
“This is one of the few businesses that I’ve been in where generally everyone that comes here is just in a fantastic mood. Not a lot of people are out here grumpy when they’re picking blueberries. It’s just a beautiful way to spend the day.”
Applecrest Farm
133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com
Strawberries are currently available for PYO. Later in the season blueberries, peaches, raspberries, flowers, herbs, apples and pumpkins will be available. Call the farm’s PYO hotline at 926-3721 for daily picking conditions, or visit applecrest.com/pick-your-own.php.
Todd Wagner from Applecrest Farm is also excited about this year’s blueberry season, which he hopes will last longer than usual.
“Blueberries are the next fruit crop that we offer pick-your-own on,” he said, “and those begin typically in the first week of July and can run right into like the first or second week of September, sometimes. The next crop that we would have for pick-your-own would be peaches and those typically start up in … basically the first week of August, and those run right into mid-September. Our raspberries would be the next thing, which typically start in the first or second week of August and carry right through until the first frost in October.”
In addition to PYO, the farm keeps busy throughout the summer with different activities.
“If you just go to our website, we have our festival schedule,” Wagner said. “We just had a two-day strawberry festival, with live music and tractor rides and yard games and sampling. And obviously pick-your-own, our barnyard, all of that kind of stuff. We do that for strawberries, for blueberries, for peaches, and then obviously all fall for apples. So there’s something pretty much every weekend, but a couple of times a month anyway through the summer and then every single Saturday and Sunday through the fall.”
Devriendt Farm
178 S. Mast St., Goffstown, 497-2793, devriendtfarm.com
Strawberries are available now for PYO daily, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m at the farm’s location at 47 Story Road, Goffstown. Pumpkins will be available for PYO in the fall. Call 497-2793 for daily picking conditions.
According to Lori Beauchemin from Devriendt Farm, this year’s strawberries are exceptional. “They are really beautiful,” she said. “We’re picking now. We started a couple of weeks ago, and we just haven’t stopped. We’ve been very busy up at pick-your-own and we’re selling out here at the stand every day. So it’s been a really good season for strawberries.”
Strawberries are available to pick right now, followed by raspberries, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apples and pumpkins.24-hour PYO hotline at 335-4705.
For Peggy Dana, from Butternut Farm, the best piece of advice she has for PYO enthusiasts is to call the farm before visiting.
“It’s highly, highly recommended,” she said, “especially during strawberry season, because depending upon the weather — like yesterday was a really, really nice day — we could easily get picked out by noon, in which case the beds would be closed for the rest of the afternoon. You don’t want to drive here and be disappointed. So we strongly recommend calling our hotline ahead of time, even the night before. It gets updated throughout the day.”
“We have two peacocks and we have three goats,” Dana said. “No petting, but the goats are amusing in and of themselves. We also make our own hard cider here. We always have five varieties on tap and apple cider doughnuts. We have sweet cider in the fall when we have apples in season.”
Gould Hill Farm
656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm.com
According to Gould Hill Farm’s webpage, its PYO season for blueberries starts in mid-July. The farm grows more than 15 varieties of yellow- and white-fleshed peaches, including Saturn (flat or doughnut) peaches, which will be available from early August through early September. Other stone fruits, including nectarines, plums, cherries and apricots, will be available in late July, August and early September. Pears will be available throughout August. Apple season will start around Labor Day. All produce will be available for purchase at the farm’s store.
Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp Recipe from Apple Hill Farm
Slice and hull 1 quart of fresh strawberries (approx. 3 cups) Cut into slices 1 cup of fresh rhubarb 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 cup flour 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon butter (3/4-1 stick) softened
Preheat oven to 350°F. Slice up the strawberries and rhubarb and place in 9×9” casserole dish (or 9-inch deep dish pie plate). Sprinkle granulated sugar over top and lightly stir in. Mix flour, dark brown sugar, cinnamon and butter together and spread over the mixture. Bake uncovered at 350°F for approx. 45 mins to 1 hour or till bubbly. Serve warm topped with vanilla ice cream. (Or you could do with 3 1/2 cups blueberries for a blueberry crisp but add 1/2 cup of flour stirred in on top with the 2/3 cup granulated sugar before placing the crisp topping on.) Even better warmed up the second day.
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (milb.com/new-hampshire) will wrap up a three-game series against the Portland Sea Dogs tonight, before traveling to Portland for another three-game series on Sea Dogs turf. Tonight’s game is an Independence Day celebration with free koozies and fireworks. The game starts at 6:35 p.m. at Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester, 641-2005, milb.com/new-hampshire). Find more Independence Day events on page 13.
Thursday, July 3
The Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua, 589-4600, nashualibrary.org) will host a meeting of the BYOB (Bring Your Own Book) Club tonight from 6 to 7 p.m. Share two or three of your favorite titles based on each month’s theme: “Red, White, and Blue.”
Friday, July 4
Terminus Underground (134 Haines St., Nashua, newhampshireunderground.org) and Liquid Therapy Brewery and Grill (14 Court St., Nashua, 402-9391, liquidtherapynh.com) will host a Fourth of July for Veterans celebration today from noon to 4 p.m at Liquid Therapy, with live music and a free meal for veterans.
Saturday, July 5
It might be the 41st anniversary but as we all know, 1984’s This Is Spinal Tap goes to 11. The movie begins a three-day stint in theaters via Fathom Entertainment today when you can see it at 4 p.m. at Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem and 7 p.m. at Regal Fox Run. The movie also screens at those theaters on Sunday and Monday. See fathomentertainment.com.
Sunday, July 6
Jazz band Love Dogs will perform as part of the Friends of Stark Park Summer Concert Series today from 2 to 4 p.m. at Stark Park (550 River Road, Manchester). Bring a chair or a blanket and enjoy the music.
Tuesday, July 8
North Country Center for the Art’sIMPACT Program, a touring children’s theater troupe, performs a different fairy tale every week for six weeks, starting after Fourth of July weekend. This week the performance is Lost in Wonderland, an interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). The show begins at 10 a.m.; tickets are free and seating is mostly on the floor, the website said.
Wednesday, July 9
Enjoy a Paint by the Pavilion event at Tuscan Village (9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) this evening, a guided outdoor painting experience that is part of Tuscan’s new Summer Fun Series. Paint by the Pavilion will be offered every Wednesday through the summer. The Series also includes Movie Mondays with family-friendly films at dusk, Trivia Tuesdays (6 to 8 p.m.) and Dogs and Dancing on Thursdays .
Save the Date! Saturday, July 12 The Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140, derrypl.org) will host the Derry premiere of local filmmaker Tim Smyth’s Tyrannocircus Rex, plus other short films by Smyth. Popcorn, drinks and other snacks will be served. Films are unrated and generally appropriate for all ages. This event is free and open to the public.
In an email from June 20, Eversource announced that it filed adjustments to the Default Service supply rate and Regulatory Reconciliation Adjustment, “which are under review with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and will take effect Aug. 1.” If the adjustments are approved, “a typical residential customer on Default Service using 600kWh per month will have a total bill increase of approximately $14, or 10 percent,” the email said. Compare residential suppliers at energy.nh.gov.
Gee-milks
A dozen libraries in the GMILCS — Greater Manchester Integrated Library Cooperative System — are participating in this summer’s GMILCS Library Hop, which runs through Aug. 31, according to an explanation on the Bedford Public Library’s website. There are 14 libraries in the system; the participating libraries are Amherst Town Library, Bedford Public Library, Derry Public Library, Goffstown Public Library, Hooksett Public Library, Kelley Library in Salem, Leach Library in Londonderry, Manchester City Library, Merrimack Public Library, Nesmith Library in Windham, Rodgers Memorial Library in Hudson and Wadleigh Memorial Library in Milford, the website said. Visit each library, complete a specific challenge and earn prizes, the website said. Pick up a game board at one of the participating libraries; complete all the challenges to be entered into a raffle for a Bookery Manchester gift card, the website said. Looking for an idea for books to check out at those libraries? See our June 26 cover story, “Summer Reads,” for book recommendations from libraries and other local book experts. Find the issue in our digital library at hippopress.com; the story starts on page 10.
Hurricane season
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicting above-normal activity for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season (which runs through Nov. 30), Eversource is urging customers to plan for severe weather, according to a press release. Sign up for text and email alerts regarding outages at eversource.com and download Eversource’s app, which allows for account access and features an outage map. The release also cited ready.gov/kit as a resource for building a disaster kit.
Signings
Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced the signing of the state’s two-year budget as well as several other bills last week, according to press releases from her office. The state budget-related bills included provisions that would eliminate mandatory vehicle inspections, according to NHPR, NH Journal and other media reports. According to WMUR, inspections will end as of Jan.31, 2026. Find a rundown of all bills Ayotte signed at the end of June at governor.nh.gov. Find the text of all the final bills at gc.nh.gov.
The New Hampshire Boat Museum’s Back Bay Skippers Model Yacht Club will host an open house at Bridges Falls Path in Wolfeboro on Saturday, July 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn about model yachts and how to sail them, according to a press release. See nhbm.org.
The Tabitha Lemon Memorial Golf Tournament will take place Monday, Aug. 25, 7 a.m. registration at Pembroke Pines Country Club, according to an email about the event. Registration costs $150 for a single golfer, $600 for a four-golfer team at birdease.com/TabithaLemonGolf. The event raises money for Camp Spinnaker, a Zebra Crossing asthma family camp, the email said.
The Palace Theatre will hold its 2025 Garden Tour on Saturday, July 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at public and private gardens throughout Manchester. Tickets to this self-guided tour cost $25 in advance, $30 on the day with registration starting at 9:30 a.m. at Demers Garden Center in Manchester. See palacetheatre.org.
The Manchester Museums — Currier Museum of Art, SEE Science Center, The Millyard Museum and the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire — will offer half-price admission throughout the summer to visitors who have a membership at one of those museums. For example, present your membership card for the Currier and receive half-off admission to the Aviation Museum. See manchestermuseums.nh.org.
Love’s in the air as Market Days returns to Concord
From its humble beginning as a sidewalk clearance sale for local merchants, Concord’s annual Market Days Festival has grown considerably. Music is a big reason; while plenty of merchandise is on offer at the stores along South Main Street, the big stage in front of BNH Stage offers an array of area performers from morning until well past sunset.
The Homegrown Stage in Bicentennial Square is dedicated to local music, and doesn’t stop when the last outdoor note is played. The festivities simply move into Penuche’s Ale House, a nearby cellar full of noise that will host an Official After Party each of the festival’s three nights at 10 p.m. ($5 cover, 21+).
Performances in Eagle Square are returning, including the Tandy’s Idol competition, but this year with a new name. The Playground Stage has performers like Mister Aaron, Miss Alli, and Jonny Clock Works of The Bee Skep Puppetry. The change was the idea of Jessica Martin, Executive Director of Intown Concord.
“It’s going to be more for children and families; we felt we had enough to fill a stage for that,” she said by phone recently. “I think a lot of people coming to Market Days are definitely going to enjoy that, in addition to the other two great stages. I have two kids, so I’m excited about that one too.”
The theme for this year’s Market Days is “Love Where You Live,” and a press release for the event promises “the biggest love bomb of all: the first-ever Wedding at Market Days.” (see page 14). Here’s another way Market Days spreads local love: All performers are paid, with a big chunk of money coming from a state grant. However, that policy is in peril.
“Unfortunately, the New Hampshire Arts Council looks like it’s going to be no more, functionally, with the current budget that is being passed by the legislature,” Martin said. “That’s something we’re sad about, and hoping to come back in the future, but we’re going to have to be looking for additional support next year.”
The news stunned the organization.
“We applied a year early, so we already submitted our grant application for next year,” she said. “They sent me an email and said, effectively, unless something changes, there’s not going to be an arts council for at least until the next budget is passed.”
“I don’t think people understand how many nonprofits benefit from the funding from the New Hampshire Arts Council. Intown Concord might not be one that people think of because we’re not necessarily an arts organization, but we work with so many artists and we do get funding through there,” she said.
For now, folks should plan on coming out for a long weekend of local creativity, from music by dozens of local musicians to kids’ activities to beer gardens.
Ultimately, it’s about an event that’s grown well beyond its beginnings over a half century ago, Martin said. “Three days, three stages, 200 vendors … it’s a long way from a shoe sale on Main Street.”
PhanArt Manchester 51st Annual Market Days Festival When: Friday, June 26, through Saturday, June 28, 10 a.m-9 p.m. Where: Downtown Concord, Pleasant and South Main streets More: marketdaysfestival.com
Music lineup Thursday, June 26 Main Stage – South Main Street 10:15 a.m. – Girlspit 11:30 a.m. – Berto 12:45 p.m. – King Polo and The WAV 2 p.m. – Okay(K) 3:15 p.m. – R&B Dignity 4:30 p.m. – Mary Fagan & The Honey Bees 6 p.m. – Freese Brothers Big Band presented by Sulloway & Holils 8 p.m. – Club Soda & Back 2 Back
Homegrown Stage – Bicentennial Square 1 p.m. – Cam Martin & The Lost Hearts 2 p.m. – Ashborne 3 p.m. – Rosewood Park 4 p.m. – Crowing for Lunch 5 p.m. – Hometown Eulogy 6 p.m. – Tree of Funk 7 p.m. – Supernothing 8:15 p.m. – Slim Volume
Playground Stage – Eagle Square 11 a.m. – Mr. Aaron noon – Bee Skep Puppet Theatre Performance 1:00 p.m. – JLM Creative 3:00 p.m. – Music & Movement with Miss Heather 4:00 p.m. – Wildlife Encounters “Tiny Creatures” presented by Microdaq LLC 6:00 p.m. – Tandy’s Idol Opener 7:00 p.m. – Tandy’s Idol
Friday, June 27 Main Stage – South Main Street 1 p.m. – Martin & Kelly 2:30 p.m. – Chad LaMarsh 4 p.m. – ALXIA 5:30 p.m. – The Party Band 7 p.m. – Reality Bites: The ’90s Rule Band!
Homegrown Stage – Bicentennial Square 10 a.m. – Jackie Crow 10:30 a.m. – Lucas Gallo 11 a.m. – Kevin Horan 11:30 a.m. – Mike Morris noon – Matt Poirier 1 p.m. – Down to the Wire 2 p.m. – Junk Drawer 3 p.m. – Stand Up Audio 4 p.m. – Miles to Memphis 5 p.m. – Dusty Gray 6 p.m. – J3ST 7 p.m. – UP – The Band 8 p.m. – Caylin Costello Band
Saturday, June 28 Main Stage – South Main Street 10:30 a.m. – Kate West 11:45 a.m. – Rebel Collective 1 p.m. – Decatur Creek 2:15 p.m. – Just Us 3:30 p.m. – Jed Crook 4:45 p.m. – Fun City Fan Club 6 p.m. – Faith Ann Band 7:15 p.m. – Donaher 8:30 p.m. – Heist
Homegrown Stage – Bicentennial Square 10 a.m. – Hank Osborne 10:30 a.m. – Colin Nevins 11 a.m. – Katie Dobbins 11:30 a.m. – Ben Harris noon – Lee & Dr. G 1 p.m. – RGB Trio 2 p.m. – The Band I’m In 3 p.m. – Holy Fool 4 p.m. – Past our Prime 5 p.m. – Kilroy 6 p.m. – Safety Meeting 7 p.m. – Andrew North & the Rangers 8:15 p.m. Peter Prince & Moon Boot Lover
Serving up traditional Puerto Rican with ‘heart and soul’
Parkside Convenience is located in a small plaza in Manchester with two or three small restaurants. It appears to be, and is, a convenience store. Immediately inside the front door there are the usual coolers for sodas and drinks, and a counter with a lottery machine and a case of scratch tickets, but continue to the back of the store and there is a surprise.
Mi Familia is a Puerto Rican takeout restaurant specializing in traditional island dishes that you would never suspect was there. It’s like a Puerto Rican soul-food speakeasy.
Tyra Torres is half of the wife-and-husband team that owns and runs Mi Familia.
“We bought the store about three years ago,” she said. “We had all this space in the back, and I visualized myself cooking again because we had owned the restaurant in Mass., years ago. It was me and my grandmother; we were the cooks. So we got permission from the city, and got permission from the landlord to open the kitchen. And now I put my heart and soul into cooking.”
Torres said that in addition to studying culinary arts for four years, she learned her cooking from her Puerto Rican grandmother.
“So everything we cook is from scratch,” she said. ”Our food is very flavorful. It’s not hot, not too spicy, but vibrant.” She explained that Puerto Rican cooking has a lot in common with other Caribbean cuisines but focuses on that vibrancy. “Every other Caribbean [culture], like Dominicans and even Mexicans has their specialty and they put in their different types of flavors and ingredients into their food. I would say the difference with us and them is, I would say we would put more garlic, cilantro, peppers, onions, a lot of herbs. You could call it herbaceous.”
Most of the Torres’ dishes involve some sort of tender-cooked protein, served on either Caribbean rice or plantains. Plantains are a fruit in the banana family that is generally starchy instead of sweet. Torres said that one of the things she loves about plantains (platanos in Spanish) is their versatility.
“You can make plantains any way you want,” she said. “We can boil it. We can fry it. I put it into most of my dishes. Like I do a Sancocho Saturday, where I also put plantains in that.” Sancocho, she said, is a specially prepared pork chop that is served with rice, or, of course, plantains. “I make a mofongo, which is made out of plantains. You fry it up, you make it into a mofongo ball. I put my seasonings in it. I put my garlic paste, oils, butter and salt to give it the perfect taste. I even make a platano sandwich, which is called a jibarito.”
Torres said that even traditional village foods, like goat, tripe or pigs’ feet, which she prepares mostly around holidays, have gotten a good reception from customers, even ones who aren’t used to that sort of food.
“Our customers are very open to trying it,” she said, “especially around this area. You wouldn’t think so, but they’ll call and ask me what is the Special for the day. They’ll ask me when I’m going to cook something like pigs’ feet, because they’ve had it in Puerto Rico, when they went to visit, or because they’ve had it here and found out they love it.”
Mi Familia’s most popular dish, however, is chicharron. Unlike Mexican chicharrones, which are made from pork skin fried into crispy chips, Puerto Rican chicharron is made from pork belly — the same cut of meat that bacon comes from. “We season it, and I deep fry it,” Torres said. “So it’s crispy on the outside and then it’s moist on the inside. It’s delicious. And once I take it out, it’s the outside of the pork belly, which is the fat is, is a little hard and crunchy. But then, once you bite into it there’s a crunch, and then you go into the meat, which is tender, with a lot of juice and flavor.”
Torres said a long-term goal is to eventually convert Mi Familia into a sit-down restaurant. “Because,” she said, “We could use more Caribbean stuff here.”
Mi Familia Where: 675 Hooksett Road, Manchester When: open for takeout six days a week: Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m, Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. More: 626-6730, mifamiliaatparkside.com Call or visit the restaurant’s Facebook page for daily specials.
Featured photo:Chef Tyra Torres is the co-owner of Mi Familia, a semi-secret Puerto Rican restaurant. Photo by John Fladd.
