Four funny nights

Hampton Beach Comedy Festival returns

Through the years, some things haven’t changed at the Hampton Beach Comedy Festival. Rule No. 1 is that every comic there has to make Jimmy Dunn laugh. Rule No. 2 is that he has to like them — after all, the whole thing began as a hang in 2009, when Dunn, a year-round beach resident, invited a bunch of his friends for a barbecue that ended with a show at Ashworth by the Sea.

It grew to four nights, with many of the same faces, and a few new ones every year working the crowds, then repairing to Playland Arcade for a highly competitive hybrid of cards and skee-ball, followed by after-hours poker — basically a comedy festival that’s an excuse for a rolling party.

“I got my crew of comics, my friends, and it’s sort of how comedy works in New England,” Dunn said in a recent phone interview as he ran down this year’s lineup. “I try and mix it up, bring in some comics that I don’t generally put on shows with me … give some other people opportunities and mix it up for the fans.”

Making their debut are John Reiman, a comedy veteran who spent several years as a writer on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“He’s been around forever, we just never were able to get him,” Dunn said. “He’s very funny, and he grew up in North Hampton, so he’s also a hometown guy.”

Another newcomer is Peter Martin, a Boston comic whom Dunn calls “explosively funny … I did a show with him; I was watching him just destroy a room, and I went, ‘Oh, man. I don’t know if I could follow this kid tonight.’ That’s how he got my attention. Since then, I’ve seen him a bunch of times.”

Will Noonan was a newcomer in the festival’s early days who’s grown into a regional headliner. Dunn remembers Noonan as an eager-to-please youngster when he first arrived.

“He had this Elvis Costello suit on, and he went up and absolutely killed it,” he said in 2019. “I was like, ‘Who is this kid? This is awesome!’ We’ve become really good buddies.”

Among those also returning are longtime favorite Lamont Price, Kelly MacFarland, Mark Riley, Dan Boulger and Chris D, who first performed in 2019. There are seven or eight comics on each show, making for a rapid-fire night of laughs, and special guests are always a strong possibility.

As in past years, Dunn will close each night, and Dave Rattigan will host.

That the festival is happening at all is a minor miracle. A last-minute offer from Tom McGuirk, who owns the eponymous Ocean View Hotel & Restaurant, saved the long weekend.

“He said, ‘Hey, we’d love to have it down here,’ and we looked at it and said, ‘This would be really cool,’” Dunn said. “I guess he’d been to a few of the festivals in the past at the Ashworth and is a comedy fan.”

The Ashworth was “in over their heads with staffing issues and trying to get all the weddings through that they could, and they just couldn’t accommodate us,” Dunn said. “We lucked out, because I thought we were done.”

Dunn’s best friend Tony V. will perform. The two have a podcast called Two Boston Guys Whack Up A Pie.

“The premise was we’d get together and get some kind of pie, apple, blueberry, sit there and have a slice. That’s just such a Boston expression — ‘You want to whack up a large pizza pie?’ But we found out pretty quickly that people didn’t like hearing us eat at the same time we’re talking.”

The show is usually Dunn and Tony V. commiserating about current events and comedy, but recently they hosted Bobcat Goldthwait, who’s been a friend of both since their open mic days in Cambridge at the Ding Ho and other clubs.

“He eats like everybody else,” Dunn said. “He’s getting back out on the road doing stand-up and wanted to plug some dates up here in New England. We get along great with Bob, so we had him on. Technically, it was not our best episode, but he’s a really funny man.”

Hampton Beach Comedy Festival
When:
Thursday, Aug. 19, to Sunday, Aug. 22, at 8 p.m.
Where: McGuirk’s Ocean View, 98 Ocean Blvd., Hampton
Tickets: $20/show at happsnow.com

Thursday
Jimmy Dunn
Chris D
Dan Boulger
Mike Whitman
Dan Crohn
Liam McGurk
Graig Murphy
Dave Rattigan

Friday
Jimmy Dunn
Will Noonan
Jeff Koen
Steve Scarfo
Tony V
Janet McNamara
Dave Rattigan

Saturday
Jimmy Dunn
Steve Bjork
Lamont Price
Dan Miller
Carolyn Plummer
Andrew Della Volpe
Don Zollo
Dave Rattigan

Sunday
Jimmy Dunn
Kelly MacFarland
Mark Riley
Jason Merrill
Peter Martin
Jon Rineman
Dave Rattigan

Featured photo: Jimmy Dunn. Courtesy photo.

Riverwalk redux

Honeysuckle brings live music back at beloved Nashua venue

Released in early spring, the latest album from Honeysuckle is called Great Divide. It’s a title with multiple meanings: a reference to today’s fractious national mood, evidenced by cover art of a house cracking to pieces, as well as a nod to the line between normal life and the masked, distanced one people came to live in the past year and a half.

The pandemic shaped the band’s art, Holly McGarry said in a recent phone interview. A planned EP stretched to 10 songs when she and bandmate/boyfriend Chris Boniarz got stranded at his parents’ house when lockdown began and ended their tour.

“That kind of forced indoor reflective time,” she said. “Then it changed a little bit of the tone.”

The title is also a reference to personal — and personnel — changes, McGarry said. In late 2019 Ben Burns left after seven years, changing Honeysuckle from a trio to a duo.

“We’ve had divides in every part of our lives. I mean, I lost jobs, and we lost gigs. We lost a bandmate. … There’s just been a big separation from what was and what is, for better or worse.”

Honeysuckle began at Berklee College of Music, when McGarry and Burns began writing together for school projects, and she started dating Bloniarz; the two men were in a band together. One day Burns played a harmonized line in a song and Bloniarz jumped in with his instrument, and an ‘aha’ moment happened.

“As sad as we are to not be able to play his songs, have him with us live and on records, everybody has to do what’s right for themselves, “ McGarry said of Burns’ departure. “Music is a passion and it’s a multi-layered thing, but it’s also a job. Everyone’s entitled to move on to whatever that next phase of life is that they want. So it was amicable.”

Great Divide is Honeysuckle’s fifth record, following the debut EP Arrows in 2015, an eponymous 2016 disc, Catacombs in 2017 and 2019’s Fire Starter. On the most recent LP, Boniarz and McGarry were co-writing more together, and shifting the band’s sound in the process.

“It’s been really interesting because Chris comes from a little different musical background, a little more rocking, I guess,” she said soon after it was released. “He loves Metallica. … It’s brought a slightly different flavor to things.”

Producer Benny Grotto, who worked with them on previous projects, proved invaluable on the new record, in a difficult time to work.

“If we had to involve more people than just Benny, it probably wouldn’t have been possible to do it over the pandemic,” McGarry said. “Because he was able to engineer, produce, mix and play drums and percussion, we were able to just have that little pod of the three of us.”

Now that they’re a duo, Boniarz is stretching out, McGarry said.

“It’s empowered him to … bring new parts of his multi-instrumental abilities to the group. We have a synthesizer that we’ve been using to fill in those lower frequencies. We’re having fun being a little bit more experimental with what we can do in the studio, and what we can do live,” she said.

This new direction is apparent on Great Divide’s dreamy title track, which McGarry names as one of her favorites on the new release, along with “Cycles,” a rollicking song with Boniarz on lead vocals.

“Chris is doing more looping now, and with the synthesizer we can add percussive beats to certain songs,” she said. “That’s what we’re trying to transition into … seeing if we can adapt and layer more things with the mandolin.”

They’re repurposing their studio tricks for live shows like the upcoming one at Nashua’s Riverwalk Café. Sponsored by Symphony New Hampshire, it’s the first in-person show at the venue since it stopped doing regular live music events in 2019. Honeysuckle was a frequent guest in those days.

“We’ve always really loved playing Riverwalk, and we were very sad when they stopped doing music there,” McGarry said. “So it’s going to be nostalgic and special to be back.”

Honeysuckle
When:
Thursday, Aug. 26, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Riverwalk Café and Music Bar, 35 Railroad Square, Nashua
Tickets: $20 at eventbrite.com

Featured photo: Honeysuckle. Photo credit: Crhis Cruz.

Free Guy

Free Guy (PG-13)

Ryan Reynolds is a video game character who breaks free of his programming in Free Guy, a movie about the nature of existence, the value of creation for creation’s sake and the usefulness of highly recognizable intellectual properties.

There is something unintentionally meta about seeing this movie in a theater due to that last factor (this movie is from Fox, which is now owned by Disney — and that’s as spoilery as I’ll get except to say that if you are inclined to see a movie in the theater this one might be worth it if only for that element).

Is that vague and a little confusing? So are elements of Guy’s (Reynolds) life. Guy wakes up each day, puts on the same blue shirt and khaki pants, orders the same coffee and heads to his job at the bank (where he stamps the day’s date on deposit slips as simply “today”) where he constantly finds himself diving for the floor during one of a countless number of bank robberies every day. The robberies — and the many stick-ups of his friend who works at the corner store and the constant car chase/gun battles and the streets filled with pro-wrestler-ishly attired criminals — are all just a part of life in Free City, which for Guy is the only world he’s ever known but for all the people wandering around causing mayhem is an elaborate multiplayer video game where players earn points for committing crimes and stashing guns and the like. Guy doesn’t know this until he meets Millie (Jodie Comer), a player who doesn’t realize that the suddenly independent-acting Guy is really an NPC — a non-player character.

Millie isn’t just any player, she’s the designer of a game — built to grow and learn but without all the violence and crime of Free City — that she thinks was used without credit (or compensation) to build Free City. She is seeking proof that Free City’s creator, Antoine (Taika Waititi), stole her code and is fairly certain she’ll find it inside the game. When she meets Guy — who has just taken some sunglasses from a player and can suddenly see the various power-ups and game money floating everywhere — she tells him to go level up and then find her if he wants to help her on her quest. To Millie’s surprise, Guy does just that, essentially becoming an in-game superhero by stopping the players from committing quite so much violence on the other NPCs. To Antoine’s surprise, Guy becomes a kind of folk hero to the people playing the game who wonder just what he is and what his actions say about the way they treat the heretofore disposable-seeming NPCs.

As Guy joins Millie on her quest, they both get a little help from Keys (Joe Keery), Millie’s former partner on the possibly stolen video game. He works for Antoine now but he seems ambivalent about the virtual world of Antoine’s that he has helped to create.

I was looking forward to this movie because I thought it looked like goofy Ryan Reynolds fun, kind of a clueless Deadpool with video game-y action. And, sure, there’s some of this; that tone is definitely the way the movie presents itself. But underneath that is something, shockingly, deeper with thoughts about what makes something “living” and what that means — is Guy alive because of the way he acts (unpredictably, with signs of choice and learning and growing) and is Guy human, with all that implies about the worth of his existence (and the wrongness of someone intentionally causing his death), because he seems to be alive? What makes something real — is, as Guy’s NPC friend Buddy (Lil Rel Howery) seems to argue, their existence, video-game-situated though it may be, real because the emotions behind it are real? What does that mean about the players (and what does that mean about their careless violence toward the NPCs in the game)?

This and other questions about the very nature of the story we’re watching are presented with a relatively light touch in the sense that I don’t think the movie necessarily gives us answers. It’s more like it offers up these surprisingly interesting ideas but then plays out this very commercial movie around it, allowing us to both laugh at some Reynolds silliness and leave the theater with some “huh, what is the nature of existence?” type thoughts, without one getting in the way of the other.

Reynolds is able to keep this balance up perfectly; he can offer the sincere-jokey-sincere sandwich required here without it seeming too slick or contrived. And he’s surrounded by a cast — including Comer — who is equally adept at bringing just the right slightly askew energy. Free Guy isn’t exactly what I expected but it was somehow exactly the kind of “fun but with more” movie I needed. B

Rated PG-13 for strong fantasy violence throughout, language and crude/suggestive references, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Shawn Levy with a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, Free Guy is an hour and 55 minutes long and is distributed by 20th Century Studios.

FILM

Venues

Chunky’s Cinema Pub
707 Huse Road, Manchester;
151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua;
150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com

Red River Theatres
11 S. Main St., Concord
224-4600, redrivertheatres.org

Rex Theatre
23 Amherst St., Manchester
668-5588, palacetheatre.org

Shows

The Lorax (PG, 2012) a “Little Lunch Date” screening at Chunky’s in Manchester, Nashua & Pelham on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 11:30 a.m. Reserve tickets in advance with $5 food vouchers. The screening is kid-friendly, with lights dimmed slightly, according to the website.

Frozen (PG, 2013) at the Rex Theatre, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m. with a portion of the proceeds going to Ballet Misha. Tickets cost $12.

Walk the Line(PG-13, 2005) a senior showing on Thursday, Aug 19, at 11:30 a.m. at Chunky’s in Manchester, Nashua and Pelham. Admission is free but reserve tickets in advance with $5 food vouchers.

The Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour (NR, 2021) at Red River on Friday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 22, at 12:30 and 6 p.m.

Swan Song (NR, 2021) Red River Friday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 22, at 1 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.

CatVideoFest 2021 (NR, 2021) at Red River Friday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 22, at 3:15 p.m.

Pig (R, 2021) at Red River Theatres on Friday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 22, at 4 p.m.

American Graffiti (PG, 1973) screening outdoors in front of the Red River Theatres marquee in downtown Concord as part of Market Days on Friday, Aug. 20, at dusk.

Theater Candy Bingo on Sunday, Aug. 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Chunky’s in Manchester and Nashua. Admission costs $4.99 plus a box of candy.

Paw Patrol: The Movie (G, 2021) a sensory-friendly screening, with sound lowered and lights up, on Saturday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m. at O’neil.

National Theatre Live Skylight a broadcast of a play from London’s National Theatre, at the Bank of NH Stage Sunday, Aug. 22, at 12:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15 ($12 for students).

Mantrap (1926) silent film directed by Victor Fleming with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis, on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2 p.m. at Wilton Town Hall Theatre. A $10 donation per person is suggested.

Featured photo: Free Guy. Courtesy photo.

World flavors

We Are One Festival celebrates 20 years of multicultural food and performances

A celebration of the state’s Latin-American, African and Caribbean communities, the We Are One Festival features authentic food, live performances, crafters and more. The free event will celebrate its 20th year at Veterans Memorial Park in Manchester on Saturday, Aug. 21.

Scenes from previous years at the We Are One festival. Courtesy photo.

The festival as it is known today first came together in 2013, after two separate events that were held in the Granite State from 2001 to 2012 — a Latino Festival organized by Latino Unidos de New Hampshire, and an annual African-Caribbean celebration organized by Ujima Collective — each combined their resources. Last year’s event was reorganized as a community health fair, with limited attendance and a greater emphasis on education about the pandemic’s impacts.

“We’re excited about having it. … I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to have the festival as close to what we’re used to having,” said Sudi Lett, who is co-chairing the We Are One Festival’s planning committee with Shaunte Whitted. “At the same time, we know that Covid is still very much a factor, so we’re just trying to take that into account as well.”

One of the biggest draws to the festival each year is the food, and you’ll find a diverse array of options available throughout the day. Local vendors include both restaurants and community members, with usually every cuisine from Dominican, Colombian and Puerto Rican to Congolese, Sudanese and Liberian represented. Featured dishes will often run the gamut from beef or pork to vegetarian options, and other ethnic staples like chivo (goat), rice and beans or stewed chicken. Don Quijote Restaurant in Manchester, for example, is a longtime participant of the festival that will be returning as a vendor once again with Caribbean options, Lett said.

“We’re looking to add more people to participate, even leading right up to the festival,” he said.

While there won’t be a large performance stage at the park as in years past, Lett said there are a few local musicians due to return to the festival this year, including African drummers and R&B and soul artists. The We Are One festival often also features local vendors selling their wares, from handcrafted jewelry to artwork, clothing and more, as well as a back-to-school giveaway featuring backpacks stuffed with school supplies for kids.

A health fair hosted by the NH Black Women Health Project will also be a part of this year’s event. Lett said there will be onsite Covid-19 testing and vaccinations at the park.

We Are One Festival

When: Saturday, Aug. 21, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Veterans Memorial Park, 723 Elm St., Manchester
Cost: Free admission; food is priced per item
More info: Email festival co-chair Sudi Lett at sudi.lett@gmail.com or search “We Are One Festival 20 Year Celebration” on Facebook
Event is rain or shine. Masks or face-coverings are optional.

Featured photo: Scenes from previous years at the We Are One festival. Courtesy photo.

Beauty in the park

Greeley Park Art Show returns to Nashua

More than 50 artists will display works ranging from watercolors and photography to wood and glass pieces at the annual Greeley Park Art Show in Nashua, which, now in its 68th year, has grown to draw thousands of visitors over the course of two days.

“I think it’s the history of the show that brings people to Nashua,” said Lauren Boss, co-president (with Jackie Berry) of the Nashua Area Artists’ Association, which hosts the event. “It’s a great park, and we get a great turnout. We’re very fortunate that it’s the same weekend every year, so people know we’re going to be there.”

The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 21, and Sunday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The artists represent a variety of media, many traditional and some unexpected, like colored pencil fine art artist Tina Gagnon.

“They’re amazing,” Boss said of Gagnon’s pieces. “You wouldn’t believe that they’re colored pencils.”

Visitors get the opportunity to watch Gagnon at work when they visit her tent.

“I set up a ‘studio’ for the two days and demonstrate my process and technique for the public,” Gagnon said.

Boss said all of the works are juried in and include fine art and fine crafts, like jewelry — Boss herself will have a tent set up to show her jewelry — plus pottery, glasswork, woodwork and soapwork.

“I enjoy creating a multitude of unique turned wooden objects for the yearly show, including bowls, lidded vessels, pens and other odds and ends,” said woodturner David Bower. “Each piece is a unique one-of-a-kind item.”

Bower attends the show each year with his daughter, Katie DiTullio.

“She enjoys painting and I enjoy woodturning and the two different art mediums complement each other in our joint display booth,” he said.

Carl Cooley of Concord calls himself an “eclectic photographer” but said that in recent years he’s been focusing his camera on birds.

“Photographing birds provides a challenge both for the amateur birder to find and recognize them and for the photographer to capture sharp evocative portraits of subjects that rarely stand still,” Cooley said.

Boss said one of the benefits of attending the Greeley Park show is that you get to talk to artists like Cooley, who is a retired pediatrician.

“You get to know a little bit about their story and how they create,” Boss said.

The event is a highlight for the artists too.

“I love the outdoor venue,” said Deb Wolf, who does oil on canvas, wood and tile, often using repurposed materials. “It’s a beautiful wide open park with such a wide array of talented local artists.”

Jessica Perez, an en plein air painter, said she loves interacting with the people who attend.

“The art show offers a window to what the community desires, and how they respond to work is an element key to success,” Perez said.

Bower agrees.

“It’s always inspiring seeing other artists’ work and receiving feedback on our own creations from the general public,” he said.

This will be Ian Bailey’s first time attending the Greeley Park Art Show, and he’s enjoyed the process of getting ready to show his work, like building his booth and framing his artwork.

“My artwork is … fairly large, so I had to plan to transport it safely,” he said. “I create emotionally charged abstract paintings using mixed media such as acrylic paints, plaster [and] foil.”

On Saturday, any of the participating artists can take part in the show’s adult art competition. Their work will be on display in the competition tent, and judges will go through the tent in the early afternoon and give out awards.

On Sunday, there’s a kids art competition for ages 6 to 18. Boss said participants can drop off their art Sunday morning, and it will be judged later in the day. There are four age categories, and winners will receive ribbons and prizes like art supplies.

“We want to encourage them to keep on creating, to keep on growing,” Boss said.

The show will also feature a raffle and an auction, a puppet show, woodworking demonstrations and a hands-on art project called “Kindness Rocks.”

“We’ll have rocks there for people to paint and they can give it to someone who might need some extra love or leave it out for a stanger to find,” Boss said.

Boss said she’s looking forward to having a full slate of artists back this year, since last year’s show was about half the size because of Covid. She said she’s always amazed at what the artists can create.

“We have some newer artists that we haven’t seen before so that’s going to be nice to go around and see new work, fresh work,” Boss said. “I genuinely like all our artists … and I enjoy going and trying to stop at everyone’s booth.”

Boss encourages everyone to come out and support local art.

“They need it and we all need to get out and do something normal and do something that makes us happy — and you’re going to find something there that makes you happy,” she said. “There’s something for everyone.”

Greeley Park Art Show

Where: 100 Concord St., Nashua
When: Saturday, Aug. 21, and Sunday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
Cost: Free to attend
More info: nashuaarts.org/greeleyparkartshow

Schedule

Saturday
All day – raffle/silent auction tent (blue tent on sidewalk)
9:30 a.m. – adult participant competition dropoff at art show tent
10 a.m. – 68th annual GPAS opens
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – kindness rock painting (near Booth 1)
11:15 a.m. – marionette show (near Booth 98)
2 p.m. – marionette show (near Booth 98)
5 p.m. – Greeley Park Art Show closes for the day

Sunday
All day – raffle/silent auction tent (blue tent on sidewalk)
10 to 11:15 a.m. – student show dropoff at art show tent
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – woodturning demonstration with Ron Marcoux (near Booth 65)
10 a.m. – 68th Annual GPAS opens
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. – kindness rock painting (near Booth 1)
11:15 a.m. – marionette show (near Booth 98)
2 p.m. – marionette show (near Booth 98)
3 p.m. – scholarship, student show awards
4 p.m. – Greeley Park Art Show closes for the year

Featured photo: Art by Jessica Perez. Courtesy photo.

Back to Fun!

Your guide to after-school adventure

The kids are heading back to school, which means it’s time to sign them up for after-school fun! Check out this guide for some ideas to get you started. If we missed a great kid activity, let us know at listings@hippopress.com.

GENERAL

Boys & Girls Club (555 Union St., Manchester, 625-5031, mbgcnh.org; 1 Positive Place, Nashua, 883-0523, bgcn.com; 3 Geremonty Drive, Salem, 898-7709, salembgc.org; 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford, 672-1002, svbgc.org; 55 Bradley St., Concord, 224-1061, centralnhclubs.org; 40 E. Derry Road, Derry, 434-6695, derrybgclub.com; 876 Main St., Laconia, 528-0197, lakeskids.org) offers after-school programs that include homework assistance, sports and recreation, arts and crafts, leadership development, life skills and more. Programs and costs vary at each location, depending on a student’s membership status and school. Call your local branch or visit its website for details.

The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Suite 105, Derry, 339-1664, culinary-playground.com) offers cooking classes throughout the year for kids ages 3 and up. Call for details on upcoming programs. The cost starts at $20 for individual classes, with parent-child team cooking classes also available.

Daniel Webster Council Scouts BSA (625-6431, nhscouting.org) is the center of information for the New Hampshire division of Boy Scouts of America. Contact them for information about joining a local troop. Troops set their own start dates, meeting days and times and meeting locations.

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains (1 Commerce Dr., Bedford, 888-474-9686, girlscoutsgwm.org) offers programs for girls in kindergarten through grade 12, focused on leadership-building, including outdoor and STEM activities, sports programs, virtual programming and more. Girls can join existing troops or form a new troop any time. Visit mygs.girlscouts.org to learn how. The membership cost is $40 per girl per year and financial aid is available. Troops set their own start dates, meeting days and times, and meeting locations.

Girls at Work (200 Bedford St., Manchester, 345-0392, girlswork.org) offers programs for girls ages 8 to 14, designed to build confidence, strength and resilience through building with power tools. Fall classes will begin at the end of September (schedule TBA). Open houses are scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 15, and Thursday, Sept. 16, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Girls, Inc. of New Hampshire (340 Varney St., Manchester, 623-1117; 27 Burke St., Nashua, 882-6256, girlsincnewhampshire.org) offers a girls-only after-school program that includes media literacy, self-defense, STEM, economic literacy, drug abuse prevention and leadership skill building. The program is open to girls ages 5 and up. The cost is $75 per week and financial aid is available. A preschool program for both boys and girls ages 3 to 5 is available at the Nashua branch only.

Boys & Girls Club of Central NH. Courtesy photo.

Mathnasium of North Manchester (Northside Plaza, 1 Bicentennial Dr., Manchester, 644-1234, mathnasium.com/northmanchester) offers opportunities for kids in elementary, middle and high school to enhance their mathematics skills through a combination of studies and math-themed games. Fall enrollment is open now. The Mathnasium is open Monday through Thursday from 3 to 7 p.m., and Sunday,from 2 to 6 p.m. The program cost varies depending on the number of sessions chosen and the student’s grade.

YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown (116 Goffstown Back Road, Goffstown, 497-4663; a branch of Granite YMCA, graniteymca.org/child-care) offers opportunities for homework support, outdoor play, academic enrichment and more, with before- and after-school care available at select Goffstown schools. After-school care is also available at the Y with transportation from select Goffstown and New Boston schools. Programs are open to students in grades K through 8, during various weekdays throughout the 2021-2022 school year (hours vary by program; call for pricing details).

YMCA of Concord (15 N. State St., Concord, 228-9622; a branch of Granite YMCA, graniteymca.org/child-care) offers opportunities for homework support, outdoor play, academic enrichment and more, with before- and after-school care available at Boscawen (for Boscawen, Penacook and Webster students) and Loudon schools. After-school care is also available on site at select Concord schools and at the Y. Programs are open to students in grades K through 5, during various weekdays throughout the 2021-2022 school year (hours vary by program; call for pricing details).

YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St., Manchester, 623-3558; a branch of Granite YMCA, graniteymca.org/child-care) offers opportunities for homework support, outdoor play, academic enrichment and more, with before- and after-school care available at select Manchester schools. After-school care is also available at the Y with transportation from select Manchester schools. Programs are open to students in grades K through 5, during various weekdays throughout the 2021-2022 school year (hours vary by program; call for pricing details).

YMCA of Greater Londonderry (206 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 437-9622; a branch of Granite YMCA, graniteymca.org/child-care) offers opportunities for homework support, outdoor play, academic enrichment and more. Before- and after-school care is available at select Londonderry, Chester and Windham schools. Programs are open to students in grades K through 8, during various weekdays throughout the 2021-2022 school year (hours vary by program; call for pricing details).

YMCA of Greater Nashua (24 Stadium Drive, Nashua, 882-2011; 6 Henry Clay Drive, Merrimack, 881-7778; nmymca.org/child-care/school-aged-child-care) offers before- and after-school programs for kids and teens of all ages at multiple locations, including at both branches, as well as at Mont Vernon Village School (1 Kittredge Road, Mont Vernon) and at Amherst Middle School (14 Cross Road, Amherst). Programs begin Sept. 7 and consist of an array of activities, such as crafts, sports, homework assistance, games, STEM and other educational enrichment activities. Costs vary depending on the program. An open house is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m., at both branches.

YMCA of Strafford County (35 Industrial Way, Rochester, 332-7334; a branch of Granite YMCA, graniteymca.org/child-care) offers opportunities for homework support, outdoor play, academic enrichment and more, with before- and after-school care available at select Dover and Farmington schools. Programs are open to students in grades K through 4, during various weekdays throughout the 2021-2022 school year (hours vary by program; call for pricing details).

YMCA of the Seacoast at Camp Gundalow (176 Tuttle Lane, Greenland, 431-2334; a branch of Granite YMCA, graniteymca.org/child-care) offers opportunities for homework support, outdoor play, academic enrichment and more. After-school care is available with transportation from select Greenland and Portsmouth schools. Programs are open to students in grades K through 8, during various weekdays throughout the 2021-2022 school year (hours vary by program; call for pricing details).

Art

Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, 672-2500, creativeventuresfineart.com) offers a drawing and painting class for kids ages 8 through 12, held weekly on Wednesday. A weekly drawing class for teens will be offered starting in October. The cost is $20 per class.

Kimball-Jenkins School of Art (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) offers a free after-school art club for middle and high school students on Tuesdays, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., starting Sept. 29. Participants will learn new art skills and engage in short-term exercises and long-term community art projects.

League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Nashua Retail Gallery (98 Main St., Nashua, 595-8233, nashua.nhcrafts.org/classes) offer workshops and ongoing classes in a variety of crafts throughout the year that are open to teens age 12 and up.

Paint pARTy (135 N. Broadway, Salem, 898-8800, paintpartynh.com) offers weekly drawing and painting classes for kids in grades 1 through 12 throughout the school year. Enrollment is ongoing. The cost is $20 to $25 per class.

Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5597, 550arts.com) offers painting, drawing and clay classes for kids and teens ages 6 and up, starting Sept. 14. Classes are held once a week in six-week sessions. Tuition ranges from $115 to $130.

DRAW, PAINT, COLOR

The Currier Museum Art Center (180 Pearl St., Manchester) is offering a variety of five-week after-school and weekend youth art programs this fall. Kids ages 6 and 7 can learn how to draw sea creatures in “Under the Sea” (starts Sept. 25, with in-person classes on Saturdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m.), and draw and paint real and imaginary creatures in “Crazy Fantastic Creatures” (starts Sept. 22, with in-person classes on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.). In “Black, White, and Color,” kids ages 7 through 10 will learn about line, shape, texture and pattern, drawing from imagination and observation (starts Sept. 22, with in-person and online classes on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.). Kids ages 8 through 10 can pay tribute to their pet or favorite animal in “Exploring Pets with Paint” (starts Sept. 25, with in-person and online classes on Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.). Comic book lovers ages 9 through 12 can create their own comic book character in “Comics for Kids” (starts Sept. 21, with online classes on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.). In “Painting and Drawing: Color and Shape,” kids ages 11 through 14 will learn the fundamentals of drawing and acrylic painting (starts Sept. 23, with in-person and online classes on Thursdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.). For teens ages 14 and up there’s “Everyone Can Draw,” which includes step-by-step drawing instruction using pencils, pens, ink and markers (starts Sept. 23, with in-person and online classes on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m.). All classes cost $157.50 for museum members and $175 for non-members. Call 518-4922 or visit currier.org/classes.

DANCE

Alicia’s School of Dance (58 Route 29, Suite 201, Loudon, 406-0416, aliciasschoolofdance.com) offers tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, gymnastics, creative dance and dance fitness programs, beginning in September. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost for one class per week is $55 per month. Any extra classes are $15 per class.

Allegro Dance Academy (100 Factory St., Nashua, 886-7989, allegrodancenh.com) offers ballet, pointe, jazz, acro, musical theater, hip-hop, tap and tumbling programs, beginning in September. Classes are available for kids ages 18 months and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost varies depending on the number of classes taken per week and the child’s age, plus an annual registration fee of $60 per person or $75 per family.

Bedford Dance Center (172 Route 101, Bedford, 472-5141, bedforddancecenter.com) offers classes in ballet, pointe, pre-ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop and tap dance programs, as well as private lessons, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. Early registration online is available now, with a $25 fee per family.

Bedford Youth Performing Company (155 Route 101, Bedford, 472-3894, bypc.org) offers dance, music and theater group and private classes for kids of all ages, beginning Aug. 30. Dance lessons include ballet, tap, jazz, acro, contemporary, lyrical and modern programs. Music classes include voice, piano, guitar, drums and percussion. Theater classes include acting and musical theater performance. The cost varies depending on the type and the length of each class.

Broadway Bound Performing Arts Center (501 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-8844, broadwayboundpac.com) offers jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, tap, tumbling, musical theater and special needs dance programs, as well as private lessons, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Thursday and Saturday. Tuition varies depending on the class. Call for cost details.

The Cadouxdle Dance Studio (297 Derry Road, Hudson, 459-4392, thecadouxdledancestudio.com) offers programs in creative ballet, jazz, tumbling, ballet and Mommy and Me yoga, as well as private dance lessons, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for students ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Thursday. The cost is $180 for one weekly class for four months ($45 per month), plus a $20 registration fee.

Concord Dance Academy. Courtesy photo.

Concord Dance Academy (26 Commercial St., Concord, 226-0200, concorddanceacademy.com) offers tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, contemporary, pointe and karate programs, beginning Sept. 20. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up, from Monday through Saturday. The cost starts at $75 per month, plus a $35 registration fee per student for the program year, and varies from there depending on the number of classes taken. There is also a drop-in rate of $18 per class session. An open house is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon.

Creative Dance Workshop of Bow (1125 Route 3A, Units A and B, Bow, 225-7711, nhdances.com) offers ballet, hip-hop, pointe, lyrical, jazz, tap and contemporary dance programs, beginning in September. There is a flat rate of $65 per month for your first class. An open house is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 26, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The Dance Company (130 Route 101A, Amherst, 864-8374, thedancecompanyonline.com) offers jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, pointe and hip-hop dance programs, beginning in September. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost varies depending on the number of class hours taken per week, plus a $30 registration fee.

Dance Connection Fitness & Performing Arts (8 Rockingham Road, Windham, 893-4919, danceconnectionnh.com) offers jazz, tap, ballet, gymnastics, hip-hop and cheer dance programs, beginning in September. Classes are held Monday through Thursday and Saturday, and are available for kids in various age groups. Call for schedule and cost details.

Dance Visions Network (699 Mast Road, Pinardville, 626-7654, dancevisionsnetwork.com) offers classes in ballet, pointe, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, tap and tumbling, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for kids ages 2½ and up. Call for registration and cost details.

Dancesteps Etc. (27 Black Hall Road, Epsom, 736-9019, dancesteps-etc.com) offers jazz, tap, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, contemporary and musical theater programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Thursday and Saturday. The cost varies depending on the number of class hours taken per week and the length of each class.

The Dancing Corner (23 Main St., Nashua, 889-7658, dancingcorner.com) offers classical ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap, musical theater, lyrical and Pilates programs, beginning Sept. 8. Classes are available for kids ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Thursday and Saturday. The cost for a seven-week session varies depending on the number of class hours taken per week, starting at $112 for one class per week per session. There is also a $30 annual registration fee. Single classes, with permission from the instructor, are $20.

Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St., Manchester, 668-4196, dimensionsindance.com) offers classes in pre-ballet, ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, hip-hop, lyrical, tap, contemporary and modern dance programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $42 to $126 per month, depending on the length of class each week. Open houses are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., and Thursday, Sept. 2, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Gen’s Dance Studio (151A Manchester St., No. 5, Concord, 224-0698, find them on Facebook @gensdancestudio) offers ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and tumbling programs, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for ages 4 and up (exact schedule still TBA). The cost varies depending on the child’s age and the type of class taken. Open houses are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., for new students only.

Happy Feet Dance School (25 Indian Rock Road, Windham, 434-4437, happyfeetdanceschool.biz) offers ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop and contemporary dance programs, beginning Sept. 8. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up. First class rates are $60 per month for 30 minutes, $65 per month for 40 minutes and $70 per month for 55 minutes. Rates for additional classes are $48 per month for 30 minutes, $50 per month for 40-minute classes and $56 per month for 55-minute classes. A rate of $295 per month for unlimited classes is also offered.

Kathy Blake Dance Studios (3 Northern Blvd., Amherst, 673-3978, kathyblakedancestudios.com) offers ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary, lyrical and music theater programs, as well as private dance lessons, beginning Sept. 11. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $60 to $72 per month, depending on the number of class hours taken per week, plus a $30 registration fee per student. The cost for private dance lessons is $40 per 30-minute lesson, $75 per one-hour lesson.

Londonderry Dance Academy (21 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 432-0032, londonderrydance.com) offers ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip-hop and contemporary dance programs, beginning in September. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. There is a bi-monthly cost, starting at $100 for a 45-minute class, plus an annual registration fee of $30 per student or $45 per family.

Martin School of Dance (288 Route 101, Bedford, 488-2371, martinschoolofdance.com) offers ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip-hop, tumbling and a variety of other dance programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost varies depending on the child’s age and the number of class hours per week. There is also a registration fee of $25 per child or $50 per family.

McKenna Dance Center (254 N. Main St., Concord, 715-1869, gotomckennas.com) offers classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, acro, contemporary and musical theater, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for kids ages 18 months and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost starts at $70 per month.

Melissa Hoffman Dance Center (210 Robinson Road, Hudson, 886-7909, melissahoffmandancecenter.info) offers hip-hop, ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, tap and tumble dance programs, beginning in September. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $52 to $315 per month, depending on the child’s age and the number of class hours taken per week (with discounted rates for each additional child), plus a $40 registration fee per student, or $55 per family.

Miss Kelsey’s Dance Studio (2626 Brown Ave., Manchester, 606-2820, mkdance.com) offers tap, jazz, ballet, acro, lyrical and musical theater programs, beginning in September. Classes are available for kids ages 1½ and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost for classes starts at $55 per month for a 30-minute class, plus a $30 registration fee per student and an additional registration fee of $15 per family member.

Nancy Chippendale’s Dance Studios (49 Range Road, Building 2, Suite A, Windham, 458-7730, chippswindham.com) offers a variety of recreational and competitive dance programs, including ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and hip-hop, beginning Sept. 10. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost varies depending on the child’s age and the number of class hours per week. Open houses are scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24, Tuesday, Aug. 31, and Tuesday, Sept. 7, all from 4 to 7 p.m.

New England School of Dance (679 Mast Road, Manchester, 935-7326, newenglandschoolofdance.com) offers classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop and more, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for kids ages 18 months and up and are held Monday through Saturday. Costs vary depending on the number of class hours taken per week. Call for cost details. Two open houses are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon, and Thursday, Sept. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m.

New Hampshire Academie of Dance (1 Action Blvd., No. 4, Londonderry, 432-4041, nhadance.com) offers jazz, ballet, pointe, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, acro and contemporary dance programs, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for preschool-age kids and up and are held Monday through Saturday. An open house is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

N-Step Dance Center (1134 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 641-6787, nstepdance.com) offers tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, tumbling and contemporary dance programs, beginning Sept. 8. Classes are available for kids ages 18 months and up and are held Monday through Saturday. Most classes range from $55 to $65 in cost.

Rise Dance Studio (125 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 402-2706, risedancenh.com) offers ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, modern and contemporary dance programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are held Monday and Wednesday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $75 to $400 per month, depending on the number of class hours per week, plus a one-time registration fee of $35 per student or $45 per family. There is also a drop-in rate of $25 per class.

Showcase Dance & Performing Arts Center (5 Executive Dr., Hudson, 883-0055, showcasehudsonnh.com) offers ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, modern, hip-hop, tap and a variety of other recreational and competitive dance programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $40 to $80 per month, depending on the child’s age and the class length, plus a $50 annual registration fee.

Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater (19 Harvey Road, Units 19 and 20, Bedford, 263-3803, snhdt.org) offers ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip-hop and modern dance programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 15 months and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost varies, depending on the child’s age and the number of class hours taken per week. Open houses are scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Aug. 28, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Turning Pointe Center of Dance (371 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 485-8710, turningpointecenterofdance.com) offers classes in ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical and hip-hop, as well as private lessons, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are held Monday through Saturday. The cost starts at $65 per month. Open houses are scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24, and Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m.

Unbound Dance Academy (237 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 714-2821, unbounddanceacademy.com) offers classes in ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, tap, hip-hop, acro and musical theater, beginning Sept. 9. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held from Monday through Saturday. An open house is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 26, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Voter’s School of Dance (341 S. Broadway, Unit 16, Salem, 893-5190, votersdance.com) offers ballet, pointe, tap, hip-hop, lyrical and other dance programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Saturday (in-person, Zoom or hybrid classes are available). The cost ranges from $60 to $265 per month, depending on the length of each class, plus an annual registration fee of $35 per child or $50 per family.

TWIRL & DANCE

Ameri-kids Baton & Dance Studio (Auburn, 391-2254, ameri-kids.org) offers baton-twirling and dance in recreational and competitive programs, beginning Sept. 12. Classes are held on Sundays at the Candia Youth Athletic Association (27 Raymond Road, Candia), at 5 p.m. for new twirlers. Classes start at $55 for a 45-minute session, plus an annual $30 registration fee. The cost for private lessons ranges from $25 to $45 depending on the session length.

GYMNASTICS

A2 Gym & Cheer (16B Garabedian Dr., Salem, 328-8130, a2gc.com) offers recreational gymnastics, tumbling and ninja classes, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for ages 18 months and up and are held Monday through Saturday, depending on the age group. The cost varies depending on the class and the amount of time for each. For recreational gymnastics, the cost is $90 per hour per month, $107 for an hour and a half and $125 for two hours. For tumbling and ninja classes, the cost starts at $90 per hour per month.

Flipz the Gym for Kids (Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Dr., Concord, 224-3223, flipzgymnastics.com) offers gymnastics-based fitness classes for ages 12 months to 7 years, as well as tumbling classes for kids ages 8 to 14. The gym is open six days a week at various times for one-hour-long classes. The cost varies for each.

Gymnastics Village (13 Caldwell Dr., Amherst, 889-8092, gymnasticsvillage.com) offers gymnastics programs and ninja and tumbling classes, beginning Sept. 1. Classes are available for girls and boys ages 18 months and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost starts at $21 for a one-hour class.

Gym-Ken Gymnastics (184 Rockingham Road, Windham, 434-9060, gymkengymnastics.com) offers gymnastics, tumbling, parkour and other programs, beginning Aug. 29. Classes are available for boys and girls ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost for classes ranges from $190 to $210 per 10-week session with one class per week, plus a $50 annual registration fee per child (maximum $110 registration fee per family).

Impact Gymnastics (301 River Road, Bow, 219-0343, impact-gymnastics.com) offers a variety of recreational gymnastics and tumbling programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $75 to $140 per month, depending on the length of the class.

Nashua School of Gymnastics (30 Pond St., Nashua, 880-4927, nsggym.net) offers a variety of recreational gymnastics programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for boys and girls of all ages and are held Monday through Thursday and Saturday. The cost varies depending on the length of each class. There is also a registration fee of $50 per child.

Palaestra Gymnastics Academy (8 Tinkham Ave., Derry, 818-4494, pgagym.com) offers a variety of recreational gymnastics and tumbling programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. Call for cost and registration details.

Phantom Gymnastics (142 Route 111, Hampstead, 329-9315, phantomgymnastics.com) offers various gymnastics and tumbling programs, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for boys and girls ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost varies depending on the age of the child, the type of each class and the length of each session.

Seacoast Gymnastics Center (13 Lilac Mall, Rochester, 332-9821, kellysgymnastics.com) offers a variety of gymnastics, ninja and tumbling programs, beginning in September. Classes are available for kids ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $50 to $215 per week, depending on the child’s age and the number of class hours taken.

Sky High Gymnastics (185 Elm St., No. 2, Milford, 554-1097, skyhighgym.com) offers a variety of gymnastics, dance and ninja programs, beginning Sept. 13. Classes are available for kids ages 2 and up and are held several days a week, depending on the age groups. Call for cost and registration details.

Southern New Hampshire Gymnastics Academy (4 Orchard View Dr., No. 11, Londonderry, 404-6181, snhga.com) offers a variety of both recreational and competitive gymnastics programs, beginning Aug. 30. Classes are available for kids ages 1½ and up and are held Monday through Saturday. Call for cost and registration details.

Spectrum Gymnastics Academy (26 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 434-8388, spectrumgymnast.com) offers several programs for boys and girls ages 3 and up, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are held various days from Monday through Saturday, depending on the age groups. Call for cost and registration details.

Tri-Star Gymnastics & Dance Center (66 Third St., Dover, 749-1234, tristargymnh.com) offers gymnastics and dance classes for all ages, as well as open gym sessions, beginning the week of Aug. 30. Classes are available Monday through Saturday. The cost ranges from $67 to $165 per session, depending on the age group and the number of classes taken per week.

Tumble Town Gymnastics (444 E. Industrial Park Dr., No. 10, Manchester, 641-9591, tumbletownnh.com) offers recreational and competitive team gymnastics programs, beginning Sept. 7. Classes are available for girls ages 3½ and up and most are held Monday through Saturday (days of the week vary depending on the class). The cost starts at $85 per month for one 60-minute class per week, with a 50-percent sibling discount available.

BE A NINJA

USA Ninja Challenge (locations at Gymnastics Village, 13 Caldwell Dr., Amherst, 889-8902, gymnasticsvillage.com; Flipz Gymnastics, 14 Chenell Dr., Concord, 224-3223, ninjaconcordnh.com; 17 Friars Dr., Unit 18, Hudson, 417-6820, ninjahudson.com; and 444 E. Industrial Park Dr., Manchester, 935-7100, ninjamanchester.com) introduces kids ages 4 and up to the sport of ninja, featuring a variety of swinging, jumping and climbing obstacles and an interactive learning program, in which they can have fun while learning fitness and life skills. The fall sessions begin in September (exact date varies depending on the location), with open enrollment year-round. The programs are open several days a week at various class times of 50 minutes, 60 minutes or 75 minutes. The cost varies depending on the length of the class.

Horseback riding

Apple Tree Farm (49 Wheeler Road, Hollis, 465-9592, appletreefarm.org) offers year-round group and private lessons for all ages and experience levels. Beginner students will receive English balance seat instruction while advanced students will focus on eventing, which includes dressage, stadium jumping and cross-country. Group lessons cost $75 per one-hour lesson or $195 for a month of weekly lessons. Private lessons cost $55 for a half-hour, $85 for an hour and $175 for a month of weekly half-hour lessons.

Chase Farms (146 Federal Hill Road, Hollis, 400-1077, chasefarmsnh.com) offers saddleseat group, semi-private and private lessons for kids ages 4 and up. The cost $40 for a group lesson (four to six students), $45 for a semi-private lesson (two to three students) and $50 for a private lesson. Lesson packages are also available.

Fox Creek Farm (Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 236-2132, foxcreek.farm) offers group and private hunter/jumper lessons for all ages. A 30-minute private lesson costs $55, and a one-hour group lesson costs $45. A Pony Lover’s lesson package for kids ages 4 to 8 is available for $180 and includes a month of weekly half-hour lessons covering grooming, tacking up and basic riding skills.

Hollis Ranch (192 Wheeler Road, Hollis, 465-2672, hollisranch.com) offers private horsemanship lessons for kids, focused on Western, English and driving disciplines. Lesson packages are customized.

Mack Hill Riding Academy (3 Mack Hill Road, Amherst, 801-0958, mackhill.net) offers private and group riding lessons for kids of all ages. Disciplines include hunter under saddle, eventing, equitation, Western pleasure and horsemanship. The cost is $55 per lesson. Lesson packages are also available at $300 for six and $540 for 12.

Walnut Hollow Farm (40 Walnut Hill Road, Amherst, 475-2714, walnuthollowfarm.com) offers one-hour private lessons for $60, semi-private lessons (two students) for $50 and group lessons for $45. A group lesson package with 10 lessons for $400 is also available.

Martial arts

Al Lima’s Studio of Self Defense (28 Lowell Road, Hudson, 595-9098, alssd.com) offers kenpo karate and self-defense programs for kids and teens. Classes are held Monday through Thursday. Call for cost details. Private classes are also available.

Amherst Karate Studio (Salzburg Square, 292 Route 101, Amherst, 672-3570, amherstkaratestudio.com) offers martial arts and self-defense classes for kids ages 4 and up. Classes are held Monday through Saturday. Call for cost details.

Bedford Martial Arts Academy (292 Route 101 West, Bedford, 626-9696, bedfordmartialartsacademy.com) offers karate classes for kids ages 18 months and up. Classes are held Monday through Thursday. An after-school pickup program is also offered for students in the Bedford Schools K-6 and Reeds Ferry, Merrimack K-4 school districts. Call for cost details.

Checkmate Martial Arts (200 Elm St., Manchester, 666-5836, checkmateselfdefense.com) offers youth martial arts programs for kids ages 5 to 13. Classes are held after school on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and on Saturday morning. Call for cost details.

Empowering Lives Martial Arts (542 Mast Road, No. 15, Goffstown, 978-414-5425, martialartsnewhampshire.com) offers a martial arts program for kids ages 4 through 6, a karate program for kids ages 7 through 12 and an adult martial arts program that is open to teens ages 13 and up. Virtual programs are also available. Call for scheduling and cost details.

Eric Menard’s Complete Martial Arts Academy (295 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 888-0010, cma-martialarts.com) offers martial arts programs for kids and teens in four-week session packages. Call for scheduling and cost details.

Golden Crane Traditional Martial Arts (46 Lowell Road, No. 6, Windham, 437-2020, goldencranenh.com) offers traditional karate classes for kids and teens ages 5 and up. Classes are held Monday through Thursday after school and on Saturday morning. Virtual classes are also currently being offered. Call for cost details.

Granite State American Kenpo Karate (290 Derry Road, No. 5, Hudson, 598-5400, gsakenpo.com) offers martial arts programs for kids and teens. Virtual classes are also currently available. Call for cost and scheduling details.

Inner Dragon Martial Arts (77 Derry Road, Hudson, 864-8756, innerdragonma.com) offers kenpo-based martial arts programs for kids of all ages. Classes are held Monday through Saturday. Classes are held Monday through Friday after school and on Saturday morning. An after-school pickup program is also offered. Call for cost details.

Kaizen Academy (17 Freetown Road, No. 6, Raymond, 895-1545, raymondkarate.com) offers martial arts programs for kids and teens ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Thursday and Saturday. Various packages are available. Call for cost details.

Manchester Karate Studio (371 S. Willow St., Manchester, 625-5835, manchesterkarate.com) offers karate classes for kids ages 4 and up as well as Brazilian jiu jitsu self-defense programs for teens age 14 and up. Call for cost and scheduling details.

Neil Stone’s Karate Academy (22 Proctor Hill Road, Hollis, 672-8933, neilstoneskarate.com) offers karate programs for kids and teens ages 2 1/2 and up. Classes are held Monday through Friday. A virtual option is currently available for teen classes. Call for cost details.

New England Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy (30 Henniker St., Unit 9, Concord, 369-4764, nebjj.com) offers Brazilian jiu jitsu classes for kids ages 5 and up. Classes are held Tuesday through Thursday after school and on Saturday morning. Packages include a month of unlimited classes for $14, a three-month block of unlimited classes for $325, a two-classes-per-week membership for $110 a month, and a one-class-per-week membership for $75 a month.

Tokyo Joe’s Studios of Self Defense (85A Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 889-4165; 20 Hammond Road, Milford, 672-2100, tokyojoes.net) offers private and group martial arts lessons for kids and teens ages 3 and up. Classes are held Monday through Saturday. Call each location for cost details.

The Training Station (200 Elm St., Manchester, 505-0048, thetrainingstationnh.com) offers kenpo, jiu jitsu and general martial arts classes for kids and teens ages 3 and up, as well as private lessons. Various packages are available. Students can also take a drop-in class for $20.

World Class Martial Arts (25 Nashua Road, Unit D3, Londonderry, 845-6115, londonderrymartialarts.com) offers karate programs for kids ages 3 and up. Classes are held after school Monday through Friday and on Saturday morning. Call for cost details.

KARATE KIDS

Penacook School of Martial Arts (15 Village St., Suite 6, Penacook) has three martial arts programs for kids and teens ages 4 and up. In “Pre Skillz,” for ages 4 through 6 (Saturdays, 11 to 11:30 a.m., $59 a month), and “Juniors Martial Arts,” for ages 7 through 13 (Monday through Thursday, 6:15 to 7 p.m., $139 to $159 a month), students will learn the foundations of martial arts, with a focus on listening skills and following directions; hand-eye coordination and mobility; social skills and respecting others; discipline and self-control; self-confidence; goal-setting and more. Teens ages 14 and up are welcome in the adult class (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30 to 8:15 p.m., and Friday, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., $139 to $159 a month), which focuses on physical fitness and self-defense using techniques from karate and Brazilian jiu jitsu. Call 738-3173 or visit penacookkarate.com.

MUSIC

Concord Community Music School (23 Wall St., Concord, 228-1196, ccmusicschool.org) begins its fall season in September with private lessons, group ensembles and more. Among the programs available is the Purple Finches Youth Chorus, which is open to kids in kindergarten through eighth grade who are learning an instrument. The three sections of the Chorus — the Fledglings, the Fliers and the Finches — allow an age-appropriate sequence of musical development, as students learn music literacy through regular rhythm, solfège and ear-training. Students rehearse weekly during the school year and perform regularly. The program is held Mondays at 4:10, 5 and 6 p.m. (times dependent on the student’s experience level), beginning Sept. 27. The cost is $175 per semester. Individual instruction in a variety of instruments is also available, including in guitar, bass, piano, percussion, clarinet, recorder, trombone, tuba and more. The cost for a 16-week semester curriculum is $672 for 30-minute lessons, $992 with 45-minute lessons and $1,296 with 60-minute lessons. Students are welcome at any time of the semester, with tuition prorated based on the number of lessons remaining.

Nashua Community Music School. Photo by Mark Stern Photography.

Let’s Play Music & Make Art (2626 Brown Ave., Unit A2, Manchester, 218-3089; 145 Hampstead Road, Suite 26, Derry, 425-7575; Rosita Lee Music Center, 136 Lowell Road, Hudson, 882-8940; letsplaymusic.com) offers weekly lessons in piano, guitar, voice, violin, cello, drums, saxophone and a variety of other musical instruments for students of all ages and abilities. The cost is $132 per month for 30-minute lessons, $244 per month for 60-minute lessons and $359 per month for 90-minute lessons. As of September 2020, Let’s Play Music & Make Art has taken over operations at Rosita Lee Music Center in Hudson.

Lidman Music Studio (419 Amherst St., Nashua, 913-5314, lidmanmusic.com) offers private lessons in violin, viola and piano for kids of all ages, from kindergarten through high school. Lessons take place weekly in the afternoons and evenings, beginning Sept. 7. The cost is $120 per month, which covers four 30-minute private lessons.

Londonderry Piano (20 N. Broadway, Salem, 898-9910, londonderrypiano.com) offers piano, guitar, drums, bass and voice lessons for all ages. The cost for one 30-minute lesson per week is $120 per month, $180 for one 45-minute lesson per week and $240 for one one-hour lesson per week.

Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St., Manchester, 644-4548, mcmusicschool.org) has a variety of opportunities beginning in September for private lessons, classes and youth ensembles for all kinds of musical instruments and all ages and levels of ability. Programs include Queen City Music & Leadership (grades 6 to 9, $250 per student), in which students participate in music lessons, ensembles and leadership and personal opportunities; Sprouting Melodies and Little Maestros (ages 6 months to 3 years old, $154 per student), in which younger children are introduced to music through a variety of age-appropriate activities); and Beginning Recorder (grades 4 to 7; free, with an online Zoom option), in which students will learn the basics of tone production and reading music. There is also a seven-week Music Theory session open to grades 6 and up ($199 per student); various chamber ensembles that include a flute choir, percussion, wind, and stringed instruments; and youth symphony orchestra opportunities. An open house for more information on all programs is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Manchester Music Mill (329 Elm St., Manchester, 623-8022, mmmlessons.com) offers private lessons in guitar, bass, drums, saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, trombone, piano and voice for students of all ages and skill levels. Lessons are offered once a week. The cost ranges from $20 to $25 per 30-minute lesson. Hourly lessons are available if needed, as well as group lessons.

Merrimack Music Academy (1 Bryce Dr., Merrimack, 493-9214, merrimackmusicacademy.com) offers private lessons piano, voice, and acoustic or electric guitar and bass for children of all ages and skill levels. Lessons are available both in studio and online. The cost is $145 per month for 30-minute lessons and $270 per month for one-hour lessons, plus a $35 one-time registration fee.

NH Tunes (250 Commercial St., No. 2017, Manchester, 660-2208, nhtunes.biz) offers year-round lessons in voice, guitar, drums, piano, ukulele and more to students of all ages and abilities. The cost starts at $29.50 per 30-minute lesson. Certificates and studio time packages can also be purchased.

Ted Herbert Music School (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, tedherbert.com) offers lessons in every band and orchestra instrument, as well as voice and theater, for students of all ages interested in various musical styles. Lessons are ongoing year-round, and instrument rentals are available through the school in partnership with David French Music. The cost is $28 per 30-minute lesson. Registration is being waived through December 2021.

MORE MUSIC PLEASE

The Nashua Community Music School (2 Lock St., Nashua, 881-7030, nashuacms.org) is moving into its new location at 2 Lock St. in Nashua on Sept. 1, which will feature larger lesson rooms and a full stage with capacity for 150 audience members. Fall programming begins Sept. 13 and will include a full range of both in-person and remote private music lessons on piano, voice, guitar, ukulele, bass, drums, flute, clarinet, saxophone, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, French horn, trombone and tuba, as well as composition, songwriting and early childhood music. Private and small group music therapy sessions are also offered for all ages remotely and in person (all group programming is currently on hold but due to return sometime in the near future). Programs are open to kids and teens ages 3 and up and are held Monday through Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. A trial pack of three 30-minute lessons costs $99, while weekly lessons or music therapy sessions start at $140 per month (community fund scholarships are available). A fall open house will likely be held soon, date TBA.

Sports

Amherst Soccer Club (amherstsoccerclub.com) offers fall soccer for tots through U9 non-travel. Players from all towns are welcome. Cost ranges from $95 to $195.

Bedford Athletic Club (bedfordrecsoccer.com) offers fall recreational soccer for players in pre-K through grade 8. The season runs Aug. 28 through Oct. 30 and costs $100.

Bedford Little League (bedfordll.com) offers fall baseball and softball for boys and girls ages 8 through 13. The cost is $50 per player for all programs. Registration is open through Sept. 5.

Concord Sports Center (2 Whitney Road, No. 1, Concord, 224-1655, concordsportscenter.com) offers a fall 10-12, middle school and high school baseball league, with practices starting Sept. 1. Cost ranges from $275 to $300 for the season.

Conway Arena (5 Stadium Dr., Nashua, 595-2400, conwayarena.com) offers hockey lessons for boys and girls ages 5 to 9. A 12-week session starting Sept. 28 costs $359. Youth hockey teams for kids and teens ages 6 to 18 are also offered from September through March. Skating lessons open to kids ages 5 and up are offered in eight-week sessions starting on Sept. 8 and cost $139. A figure skating program is available for kids with basic skating skills and includes 11 weeks of small group instruction for $275.

Derry Soccer Club (Rider Fields, 38 Tsienneto Road, Derry, derrysoccerclub.org) offers U4 through U18 recreational soccer for kids residing in Derry and surrounding towns. Programs run for seven or eight weeks and range from $90 to $155.

FieldHouse Sports (12 Tallwood Dr., Bow, 226-4646, fieldhousesports.com) offers a five-week soccer clinic for kids ages 3 to 6 starting on Sept. 11 for $40 to $45. Six-week soccer clinics for kids ages 6 and up start on Nov. 8 and cost $75 to $80.

The Icenter (60 Lowell Road, Salem, 893-4448, the-icenter.com) offers skating and hockey lessons for kids ages 3 and up, beginning in September. An 11-week session starts on Sept. 11 and costs $275, and a 12-week session starting Dec. 4 costs $295.

Longfellow New Hampshire Tennis & Swim Club (140 Lock St., Nashua, 883-0153, nashuaswimandtennis.com) offers tennis lessons for kids ages 8 and up. Eight-week sessions begin on Sept. 8. The cost ranges from $120 to $545, depending on the age group.

New Hampshire Junior Roller Derby (nhjuniorrollerderby.com) offers a roller derby program for kids ages 6 through 17, with practices held at the New England Sports Center in Derry and the Plaistow YMCA. A three-week session starting on Sept. 10 costs $40, and a six-week session starting on Oct. 6 costs $80.

New Hampshire Sportsplex (68 Technology Dr., Bedford, 641-1313, nhsportsplex.com) offers soccer classes for kids ages 18 months to 6, tee ball for ages 3 through 6, lacrosse for ages 4 through 8, field hockey for ages 4 through 12, basketball for ages 3 through 14, hockey for ages 4 through 8 and volleyball for ages 3 through 12. Eight-week sessions start on Sept. 8. Call for cost details.

The Phanzone (142 Route 111, Hampstead, 329-4422, thephanzone.com) offers a field hockey program for girls in grades 1 through 6. A six-week session starts on Sept. 11 and costs $55.

Salem Youth Baseball (salemyouthbaseball.net) offers fall baseball for players ages 6 and up. The cost is $65 to $75.

Salem Youth Soccer Association (salemsoccer.com) offers recreational soccer for tots ages 3 and 4 for $55, and for U6 through U12 for $175, starting on Sept. 12.

Seacoast Fencing Club (271 Wilson St., Manchester; 261 N. Main St., Rochester, 428-7040, seacoastfencingclub.org) offers group fencing classes for kids ages 7 and up of all experience levels. Nine-week sessions starting in September range from $100 to $275. Competitive training is also available in three-month terms for $335 to $380.

Tri-Town Ice Arena (311 W. River Road, Hooksett, 485-1100, tri-townicearena.com) offers group skating lessons for kids ages 3 and up. Seven-week sessions start on Sept. 13. The cost is $126.

YOU GO, GIRLS!

Girls on the Run New Hampshire (girlsontherunnh.org) is a youth development program that empowers girls through physical activity, with a focus on self-confidence, decision-making, respecting others, teamwork, community service and other life skills. Programs are offered through local schools and rec programs for grades 3 through 5, grades 6 through 8 and ages 16 through 18. The cost for the fall season, which runs Sept. 13 through Nov. 13, is $140. Girls are selected for the program by lottery. Registration closes on Aug. 22. Visit girlsontherunnh.org or call 778-1389.

THEATER

Kids Coop Theatre (East Derry, admin@kids-coop-theatre.org, kids-coop-theatre.org) offers youth theater productions throughout the year open to kids and teens ages 8 and up. Rehearsals are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., at 46 East Derry Road in Derry. Visit the website for the most up-to-date audition schedule for shows.

The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts (880 Page St., Manchester, 669-7469, majestictheatre.net) offers private lessons in acting and voice, workshops and performing opportunities in community theater productions. The cost is $28 per 30-minute session. Registration is being waived through December 2021. If cast in a performance, there is a $125 production fee (scholarship assistance available). On Tuesday, Sept. 7, and Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m., kids and teens ages 8 to 16 can audition for “Sleepy Hollow,” with public performances from Friday, Oct. 22, to Sunday, Oct. 24.

New Hampshire Theatre Project (West End Studio Theatre, 959 Islington St., Portsmouth, nhtheatreproject.org, in collaboration with the Portsmouth Recreation Department, 610-7277, cityofportsmouth.com/recreation) is offering opportunities for kids to get introduced to the world of acting and theater through creative exercises, games, improvisation, storytelling and imagination exercises, beginning in late September. Programs include building characters, working with costumes, reading and writing scripts and performing in theater productions, and are open to kids from kindergarten to second grade on Tuesdays, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.; and third through fifth grade on Wednesdays, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., dates offered Sept. 28 to Nov. 17. The cost is $180 per child.

Palace Youth Theatre (Forever Emma Studios, 516 Pine St., Manchester, 688-5588, palacetheatre.org) offers classes, coaching and performance opportunities throughout the year for young performers. Productions include mainstage junior musicals, plays and small cast musicals for students in second grade and up, as well as voice, acting and dance lessons throughout the year for students ages 3 and up. Classes start the last week of August and are offered throughout the year. If cast in a production, there is a $125 fee.

Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, 886-7000, peacockplayers.org) offers theater production opportunities for kids ages 6 and up. The next production is Matilda the Musical Jr. in October, with auditions on Monday, Aug. 30, and Tuesday, Aug. 31, from 6 to 9 p.m. Rehearsals are Thursdays and Fridays, from 6 to 9 p.m., and Sundays, from 1 to 5 p.m., beginning Sept. 9. There is a $175 educational tuition cost for all those cast in the production. Financial assistance is available.

Featured photo: Studio 550 Community Art Center. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 21/08/19

Covid-19 update As of August 9 As of August 16
Total cases statewide 102,117 103,462
Total current infections statewide 1,270 1,704
Total deaths statewide 1,389 1,395
New cases 1,131 (Aug. 3 to Aug. 9) 1,345 (Aug. 10 to Aug. 16)
Current infections: Hillsborough County 362 457
Current infections: Merrimack County 86 144
Current infections: Rockingham County 307 345
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

State health officials reported 310 new positive cases of Covid-19 in New Hampshire on Aug. 12, the highest number announced in a single day since April 22. During an Aug. 12 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said that New Hampshire had averaged between 160 and 170 new infections per day, a majority of which have occurred in people who are unvaccinated. As of Aug. 16 there were a total of 1,704 active infections statewide, with all 10 counties at substantial community transmission.

Dr. Beth Daly, Chief of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control of the New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services, also provided an update on vaccine distributions in the state during the press conference. More than 800,000 Granite Staters have received at least one dose of vaccine to date, with around 752,000 of those now fully vaccinated. “While the number of people getting vaccinated each week has slowed down, we do still have 1,000 new people each week who are making that choice to initiate vaccination,” Daly said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending a third dose of either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccine for moderately to severely immunocompromised people, according to an Aug. 13 statement from Director Rochelle Walensky. The CDC recognizes about 3 percent of the U.S. adult population as being immunocompromised, including recipients of organ or stem cell transplants, people who are actively being treated for cancer, and those who have an underlying condition that weakens their immune system, such as an advanced or untreated HIV infection. According to the statement, the third dose should be of the same vaccine they originally received, administered at least four weeks after the second shot.

Vetoed

Last week, Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed HB 239, after New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella, as well as all of the state’s county attorneys, wrote to him expressing concerns with the language of the bill as written, according to a press release. “Occasionally, well-intentioned legislation can fall apart because of a few misplaced words or technical language that was left out,” Sununu wrote in his veto message. “Unfortunately House Bill 239 contains a fatal flaw that must prevent it from moving forward. I support the legislative intent to extend the statute of limitations for juvenile victims of first-degree and second-degree assault. However, this bill presents severe negative consequences that could greatly hinder ANY prosecution of first-degree assault in New Hampshire.” According to the release, the bill fails to make clear that the extension of the statute of limitations for prosecutions under RSA 631:1 to a victim’s 24th birthday only applies to juvenile victims. “[The bill] could readily be interpreted to preclude any prosecution for a crime under RSA 631:1 beyond a victim’s 24th birthday,” Formella and the state’s 10 county attorneys wrote in their Aug. 6 letter to Sununu. “As such, cases under RSA 631:1 with adult victims over 24 years of age simply would not be able to be charged or prosecuted.”

Sununu also vetoed SB 141, relative to the procedure for conducting firearm background checks, and HB 334, relative to prohibitions on carrying a loaded firearm on an OHRV or snowmobile and relative to the procedure for conducting firearm background checks.

More Powerball

The New Hampshire Lottery will introduce a third weekly Powerball drawing each Monday starting Aug. 23, with the anticipation that it will increase the number of cash prizes and jackpots awarded each year. According to a press release, the Monday drawing will join the weekly Wednesday and Saturday drawings but will not change the Powerball game odds or set cash prizes. Players will still choose five numbers from 1 to 69 and one Powerball number from 1 to 26. Most recently, Darin Lazzard of Rochester and Margaret Walsh of Atkinson split a winning $1 million Powerball ticket for the drawing on July 24, and William Metzger of Hudson claimed a $1 million winning Powerball ticket for the drawing held on July 10. NH iLottery also saw a $2 million Powerball win on July 10, though there has been no prize claim yet, according to the release.

Police Academy

The Manchester Police Department will be hosting its 34th session of the Citizen’s Police Academy, with the first class scheduled to be held Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Manchester Police Department, 405 Valley St. According to a press release, the academy is an eight-week program that gives residents the opportunity to learn about the role of the police department in the community. It is a classroom format with some limited participation, if you choose. The program is free, but you must fill out an application, and a background check will be required. All classes will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 8 p.m. Visit manchesterpd.com and click on the citizen’s police academy link to access the online application.

Charter school grants

Last week the New Hampshire Department of Education announced the first recipients of the federal public charter school grant program. According to a press release, the grants are part of a $46 million federal public charter school grant, and 14 programs applied for the funds. Northeast Woodlands, Spark Academy, Gathering Waters and Heartwood were each selected to receive new start-up grant awards, which can be up to $1.2 million, with an additional $300,000 for meeting department-identified priorities such as opening schools in under-served areas, targeting services for at-risk students, and showcasing unique and innovative educational programs not widely offered in the state, the release said. Founders Academy and MicroSociety received expansion grants, which can be up to $600,000 and provide funds for schools to expand enrollment, grade levels and educational programming. And CSI chartered public school received a replication grant, which can be up to $1.2 million and provide funds to replicate a successful charter program in another part of the state. The department anticipates releasing a second round of funding in the late fall, the release said.

Vaccines at state parks

The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the New Hampshire Department of Natural & Cultural Resources, is making it easier for people to get Covid-19 vaccines with the new NH Mobile Vaccine Van. The van will provide free vaccinations at select state parks on select dates now through Sept. 30. Everyone who gets their vaccine at a state park will receive a complimentary day pass to any New Hampshire state park or historic site, valid through December 31, 2022. Visit dhhs.nh.gov for vaccine locations and dates.

Shtudy, which was founded in 2018 by two UNH Durham graduates and whose mission is to help bring more racial diversity to New Hampshire’s tech industry, is hosting the first ever virtual Shtudy Tech Diversity Career Expo to connect tech job seekers of color with companies actively hiring STEM talent, on Wednesday, Aug. 25, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Find more information at shtudy.co/career-expo.

On Aug. 11, Gov. Chris Sununu visited the Inn at Sunset Hill in Sugar Hill to sign SB 105, which established April 8, 2024, as Solar Eclipse Day in New Hampshire.

Local entrepreneur Melissa Davis is opening up the first Blo Blow Dry Bar in the Bedford community. According to a press release, the New Hampshire native has returned to the Granite State after a 20-year hiatus and saw the need for a high-quality blow out option in the area. Blo Blow is scheduled to open on Friday, Aug. 20, in the Bedford Grove Shopping Center.

The NH Senior Games Annual Track and Field Event will be held at the Gatsas Athletic Complex in Manchester on Sunday, Aug. 22. According to a press release, the day-long event will include sprinting and running events, throwing events like shot put, javelin and weight throw, plus high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault. Same-day registration will be available for athletes, and event volunteers are also welcome. Visit nhseniorgames.org.

Localize our power

One of the more interesting changes that renewable energy will bring to New Hampshire is the localization of energy. As it is now, fuels are freighted (by truck or rail) into New Hampshire. For the power station in Bow, coal is shipped in by rail from out west. Most of our gasoline and gas is brought in by sea. What’s remarkable is that it all travels a good distance. Other than wood (and some nuclear power at Seabrook), New Hampshire doesn’t produce any of the material we burn to generate power. But that is changing and will likely change a lot in the next few decades. And we should do as much as we can to encourage and develop that.

Advances in technology are making it affordable and practical to generate power everywhere. From rooftop solar panels to larger solar farms to hydro power to wind turbines the next advances will mean that power won’t be generated at power stations as much as it will be generated everywhere, stored locally and fed back into the grid as homes, businesses, government and institutions need it. That’s a much safer, more economical and more environmentally friendly system than the ones we have now.

Going green shouldn’t be a Republican thing or Democratic thing. It’s a thing that makes us more independent, keeps money local, is safer and makes us all healthier.

Our local and state governments should be doing everything they can to help foster this new potential world of New Hampshire energy independence. How can we put rooftop solar panels in every home where it makes sense? How can we add solar panels to schools, warehouses, airports and former dumps? How can we turn roads into energy collectors? How can we harness the wind and power of the ocean to generate power? We should be supporting local projects like this even if they are just experiments now. Is every dam in New Hampshire collecting electricity? Is every parking garage generating electricity?

One of the biggest challenges with the lion’s share of renewable energy is that we just can’t turn it on or off like we can with traditional power plants. With solar we may have an abundance of power during the day but none at night. But what if an affordable way to store that energy was developed? A startup in Somerville, Mass., says they have developed an inexpensive way to store electricity in an iron battery. Commercial use of this technology may be 10 years away, but it represents hope and perhaps the future of what we could be able to achieve: real energy independence. And our state and local governments should be leading the way with projects of their own and incentives to help homes and businesses convert to renewable energy and experiment with ways to make it work. That seems like something everyone could get behind.

Traveling solo

Sarah Lee Guthrie finds her own voice

Two New Year’s Days ago Sarah Lee Guthrie wrote on Instagram, “Good morning 2020, I love you already.” With a few West Coast shows booked ahead of playing in the band on her dad Arlo’s national tour, the future gleamed. But in early March, right after she got to Solvang, California, the world shut down.

Guthrie holed up there, releasing videos made in a culvert near the Santa Ynez River. Songs came from her life as “a link in a chain of folk singers,” starting with grandpa Woody Guthrie, with selections from Pete Seeger and Phil Ochs.

A pair of originals from the so-called Culvert Sessions — an aching ode to her late mother and the longing “Seven Sisters,” a performance inspired by a full moon — hinted at the core of her hejira.

“I hadn’t really stepped into what could be known as a Sarah Lee Guthrie solo career after breaking up with Johnny [Irion, her husband and musical partner since 2000],” she said in a recent phone interview. “I’ve been kind of dipping my toes in all kinds of different directions to determine how to capture me, my essence. How do I put it down there?”

Beyond that, isolation was a totally new feeling that sparked waves of energy.

“I hadn’t actually lived alone ever in my entire adult life, and it’s the first time I was actually in one place for two whole months,” she said. “Then I found this amazing little portal of creativity. … I loved it.”

After lockdown was lifted, Guthrie found her way to Austin, Texas, where her sister Cathy now lives. The move sparked her latest creative flowering. The Guthrie Girls & the Stage Door Johnnies is a honky tonk band that holds down a weekly residency at Sam’s Town Point, a no-nonsense, music-forward bar located at the city’s southern tip.

The new effort took shape when Guthrie reluctantly agreed to play a folk jam.

“I’ve played listening rooms, theaters and schools, libraries and coffee houses all over the world, but bars … I’m just not good at them,” she said. But her sister wasn’t buying it, telling her, “just get over yourself and play.”

Her first night, “all these guys started to join me on stage, kind of uninvited, but really funny,” she said. “It was like, ‘Hey, I’m going to go grab my guitar, I’m going to grab my bass, let’s jam. I’m going to go find a drummer,’ [and] all of a sudden I have a band. … This place sucked me in and I have not left because it is so fun. My entire view of how to make music, why we make music, my relationship to music, just totally shifted.”

The nature of her employment also changed. The two sisters work behind the bar at Sam’s when they’re not performing, a situation necessitated by her father’s retirement from touring and live shows.

“I’m laid off and she’s laid off in a sense. She was working for my dad, and also making music with Amy Nelson in Folk Uke,” she said.

Cathy’s ex, Ramsey Millwood — the two share a child — is a singer-songwriter who owns and runs the bar.

Guthrie rapidly assimilated into Austin life.

“It’s really its own country,” she said, “and the coolest thing is that there’s so many great musicians, living a very unpretentious lifestyle going around from club to club. Our favorite people are always there, Charlie Sexton or Charley Crockett or Paul Cousin….”

Her uncle, folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, stopped by recently.

“This is a haven for people like Jack. There’s old cars in the back. We have one of my dad’s buses there that we’ve been fixing up and the guys all love to sit around and talk about what needs to be done to it. And a bunch of singing cowboys; I was like, ‘Jack, you gotta come hang out with us.’”

Leading a band is exhilarating, liberating, she said.

“Playing with Arlo and my brother, I’m just a little sister, a daughter,” she said. “Coming into a territory where I’m actually driving is feeling really good; I’m empowered. These guys have great taste, there’s great music. I’m inspired, and I love singing with Cathy. Having a band that loves coming to play your songs! It’s just like, oh man, feeling that for my own self. … It’s been life-changing.”

Looking back at her long-ago ’gram post now fills Guthrie with regret’s opposite.

“I did love it,” she said. “I know that it’s been a hard year, but … we spend so much time trying to decide whether it’s good or bad; I’m just over it. I just want to experience. I’m an optimist, so I saw the good in 2020 like you wouldn’t believe. … I’m so much happier.”

Sarah Lee Guthrie w/ Tristan Omand
When:
Saturday, Aug. 14, 2 p.m.
Where: Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket
Tickets: $25 at stonechurchrocks.com ($30 at the door)

Also Friday, Aug. 13, 7:30 p.m. at Brewbakers, 48 Emerald St., Keene ($25 at novarts.org) with Charlie Chronopoulos.

Featured photo: Sarah Lee Guthrie. Courtesy photo.

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad (R)

Harley Quinn and a few lesser characters from the first movie return with the added benefit of Idris Elba as Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad, which is somehow the title of this sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad.

Or not a sequel? I’ve seen this movie talked about as some kind of complete departure from that 2016 film or reboot of the concept, despite some carry-over characters and what, to me, felt like a pretty similar set-up. As with Will Smith’s Deadshot in the first movie, Bloodsport is an imprisoned expert assassin, top-notch marksman and a girl dad who join a Suicide Squad mission to help his young daughter. The last movie had Killer Croc, a kind of crocodile man; this movie has Nanaue (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), a giant shark man. The first movie had Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) selling her “bad people doing good things” idea and she returns for this movie but on the ground a lot of her “America, at any cost” cynicism seems to be delivered by Peacemaker (John Cena), a not super bright take on a flag-waving hero but fairly demented and with a mean, dark streak. Jai Courtney’s Boomerang and Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag also return.

The movie starts with the Squad — or Task Force X, as is their official name — in the middle of a mission on the island of Corto Maltese and things are not going well. Then we jump back to see how the squad — or, as we quickly learn, the squads — came together. The overall mission is to sneak into this country that is newly under control of military leaders after a coup and find and destroy the Jotunheim, a secret lab where a project called Starfish, reportedly involving alien tech and some kind of creature, is kept. We can’t have Starfish falling into the wrong hands, Amanda tells the crew, which also includes Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), whose superpowers are shooting deadly polka-dots and really hating his mother, and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), who much like her late father, Ratcatcher 1, uses a mind control device to call and control rats and also has a rat friend who hangs out with her at all times. Perhaps someone should have mentioned this to Bloodsport, who has a lot of childhood rat-related trauma.

There is a version of this movie that really works, that leans into the whole rat thing (which I think is maybe one of the movie’s better elements) and the cartoony weirdness of some of the characters and the nature of the mystery that is Starfish, which is extremely silly but also fully acceptable in this kind of story and has these little elements of sadness. You get to see about 30 or so minutes of this movie at the end of The Suicide Squad, which, as with last year’s Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), is when the movie really gets going. Ah, this, I found myself thinking while the gang was all together fighting a very campy [spoiler alert], this is a fun movie. Robbie is fun, Elba is fun, all the rat business is skin-crawly but also weirdly fun.

But then there’s everything that comes before this, like 90 minutes of before, when this movie just doesn’t feel switched on. I think part of this is due to a structure that keeps many of the most charismatic characters apart for long stretches of time, which means there are good chunks of this movie when we’re not hanging out with Bloodsport or Harley Quinn or the duo of Ratcatcher 2 and Nanaue. There’s a jerking around of locations (and of the timeline, which does at least come with some visually clever fonts) that I think kept me from getting really engaged in the story. The movie’s whole vibe made me feel like it should have been funnier and more lively than it is. Head-explodiness and general stage gore seems to have replaced aggressive quippiness but after a while feels just as repetitive and wearing.

The Suicide Squad feels like a collection of missed opportunities. C+

Rated R for strong violence and gore (like, so much gore; but silly, in a zombie movie kind of way?), language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad is two hours and 12 minutes long and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is in theaters and available on HBO Max through Sept. 5.

Vivo (PG)

An anxious kinkajou travels from Havana to Miami to deliver a musical love note in Vivo, a bright and lovely animated musical with original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Miranda also provides the voice of Vivo, a kinkajou (a sorta monkey-like animal that Wikipedia explains is in the same family as raccoons). Vivo lives with Andrés (voice of Juan de Marcos González), a musician who performs daily in the square with Vivo singing and dancing along. The two have a happy life until the day that Andrés gets a letter from Miami. Andrés’ onetime musical partner (and the woman he loved but never told his feelings to) Marta Sandoval (voice of Gloria Estefan) is having her farewell concert and would like Andrés to come and maybe even perform. Andrés is excited at the prospect of seeing Marta again and showing her the love song he wrote for her. Vivo is not so sure about all this travel and change.

After first resisting, Vivo comes around to the idea of a Miami trip but when he goes to tell Andrés, he finds his friend has passed away. At a memorial for Andrés, his nephew’s widow, Rosa (voice of Zoe Saldana), and her tween-age-ish daughter Gabi (voice of Ynairaly Simo) come from their home in Key West to pay their respects. Andrés’ friend gives Gabi a suitcase containing some of his old instruments, knowing that Gabi, like her father and great-uncle, loves making her own music. Vivo sees his chance to fulfill Andrés’ wish to give Marta his song and stows away aboard the suitcase.

Once in Key West, Gabi is delighted to learn that Vivo has followed her and is excited to help him fulfill his mission. There are, of course, hurdles: they have to find a way to get to Miami, they have to find a way to ditch Rosa and, once Vivo is spotted, Gabi and her new animal companion are chased by aggressively nature-loving, rules-following Sand Dollar girls (voiced by Katie Lowes, Olivia Trujillo and Lidya Jewett), the scouts that Gabi’s mother would like her to make friends with.

Gabi is a purple-hair, adventure-loving, improvise-her-way-through-situations girl who has had some difficulty building new relationships since the death of her father. Vivo is a plans-and-routine-loving monkey who doesn’t enjoy being out in the big wide world — at least, at first. Their friendship and Miranda’s songs form the core of this movie, with its beautiful tropical colors (including a magical take on a neon-colored Miami) and Latin-inflected music.

Miranda’s songs are very Lin-Manuel Miranda-esque, which I like; it’s been a summer of his music for me, what with In the Heights and my kids getting really into Moana. I found the music here and the different song styles and how they tell the story of the characters they’re connected to really charming and thoughtful. As a piece of art that I enjoyed, Vivo was fully engaging and something I could see myself happily viewing again.

I watched this movie with my kids and the animal antics of Vivo and the songs were a hit with the younger kids, though their attention did wane at parts. (They later watched it about three more times in the space of 12 hours, so the movie clearly grew on them.) My older elementary schooler enjoyed the movie more or less throughout, particularly Gabi, who loves the drums and bright colors and is perfectly happy being who she is.

Vivo is a cheery movie with a nice kid adventure story and some good messaging in all those sunny visuals and songs. A-

Rated PG for some thematic elements and mild action, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Kirk DeMicco and Brandon Jeffords with a screenplay by Kirk DeMicco and Quiara Alegría Hudes, Vivo is an hour and 35 minutes long and distributed by Netflix, where it is available for streaming.

FILM

Venues

Chunky’s Cinema Pub
707 Huse Road, Manchester;
151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua;
150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com

O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square
24 Calef Highway, Epping
679-3529, oneilcinemas.com

Red River Theatres
11 S. Main St., Concord
224-4600, redrivertheatres.org

Rex Theatre
23 Amherst St., Manchester
668-5588, palacetheatre.org

Shows

Back to the Future (PG, 1985) at the Rex Theatre on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. with a portion of the proceeds going to SEE Science Center. Tickets cost $12.

The Goonies (PG, 1985) will screen Wednesday, Aug. 11, at Chunky’s in Manchester, Nashua and Pelham at 7 p.m. including a treasure hunt. Doors open an hour before showtime for a hunt for boxes of goodies. Tickets $4.99.

21 + screening of The Goonies (PG, 1985) on Thursday, Aug. 12, at Chunky’s in Manchester, Nashua and Pelham at 7 p.m. with themed cocktails and an in-theater treasure hunt (doors open an hour before showtime). Tickets cost $4.99.

CatVideoFest 2021 (NR, 2021) screens at Red River Theatres in Concord Friday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 15, at 1 and 3:15 p.m.

Swan Song (NR, 2021) screens at Red River Theatres in Concord Friday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 15, a 3:45 and 6:45 p.m.

Pig (R, 2021) screens at Red River Theatres in Concord Friday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 15, a 12:30 and 6:15 p.m.

Free Guy (PG-13, 2021) a sensory friendly flix screening, with sound lowered and lights up, on Saturday, Aug. 14, 10 a.m. at O’neil Cinema.

Tangled(PG, 2010) at the Rex Theatre on Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12.

The Lorax (PG, 2012) a “Little Lunch Date” screening at Chunky’s in Manchester, Nashua & Pelham on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 11:30 a.m. Reserve tickets in advance with $5 food vouchers. The screening is kid-friendly, with lights dimmed slightly.

Frozen (PG, 2013) at the Rex Theatre, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m. with a portion of the proceeds going to Ballet Misha. Tickets cost $12.

Featured photo: The Suicide Squad. Courtesy photo.

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