Category: News

This Week 26/05/21

Thursday, May 21

The Canterbury Shaker Village, 288 Shaker Road in Canterbury, will hold a Shaker Barn Dance tonight from 7:30 to 10 p.m. with a “$10-15 suggested contribution for Raise the Roof building fund for Canterbury Shaker Village. Collected at the door,” according to a press release. Individuals and couples welcome, no experience needed, the release said. The band will feature Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki on fiddle, caller David Millstone and Sue Hunton on piano, the release said. Can’t make it today? Another dance is slated for Thursday, June 18. See shakers.org.

Saturday, May 23

NH Alt Market, described in an email from an organizer as “an alternative pop-up market for the alternative maker [where] 25 wacky and wonderfully weird makers will gather to set up shop in the Newmarket Millspace,” will be held today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Newmarket Millspace, 55 Main St., Suite 132, in Newmarket, according to an email. See nhaltmarket.com for a list of participating artists.

Saturday, May 23

Dimensions in Dance presents its production of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid today at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester. “This classic story of a little mermaid who wishes for a life on land is told through dance, featuring original choreography in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip-hop, acro, pointe, and lyrical,” according to palacetheatre.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Saturday, May 23

Get some laughs at the Tupelo Night of Comedy featuring Steve Bjork, Ryan Gartley and Jack Lynch tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St. in Derry, according to tupelomusichall.com, where you can purchase tickets.

Saturday, May 23

The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will hold an unveiling of a mural of Ona Judge Staines at 222 Court St. in Portsmouth on Saturday, May 23, with events starting at 11 a.m., according to blackheritagetrailnh.org, where you can find a schedule of events. “Born enslaved to George and Martha Washington at Mt. Vernon around 1773, Staines … escaped [from the family’s Philadelphia residence at the age of 22 in 1796] with the help of members of Philadelphia’s free Black community, with whom she had built relationships during earlier visits. She hid on a boat destined for Portsmouth. … Staines spent the rest of her life as a free woman in New Hampshire, where she married and had three children,” according to the website.

Saturday, May 23

It’s Swing Dance Night featuring the New Hampshire Jazz Orchestra at the BNH Stage in Concord, according to ccanh.com, where you can purchase tickets. Doors open at 6 p.m., a dance lesson starts at 6:30 p.m. and then the music and dancing start at 7 p.m., the website said.

Sunday, May 24

Celebrate 25 years of Elle Woods at a screening of 2001’s Legally Blonde (PG-13) at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack and Hooksett at 7 p.m. and at the Regal Fox Run in Newington at 1 p.m., according to fathomentertainment.com. The movie will also screen Wednesday, May 27, at Regal Fox Run at 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 27

The Nashua Silver Knights, members of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, host their home opener at Holman Stadium (67 Amherst St., Nashua) today against the Vermont Lake Monsters at 10:30 a.m. See nashuasilverknights.com for tickets.

Save the Date! Friday, May 29
New Hampshire Humanities will host a presentation called “First in the Nation: New Hampshire’s 1776 Constitution to the Present” on Friday, May 29, at 5 p.m. on Zoom, according to a press release. “Join us to watch a rebroadcast of a panel discussion about New Hampshire’s Constitution in the past and present, with Lorianne Updike Schulzke (pictured) and Robert F. Williams, moderated by the Honorable N. William Delker. All three panelists will join us live after the rebroadcast to answer questions,” the release said. See nhhumanities.org to register.

Quality of Life 26/05/21

Fewer ODs

As reported by WMUR in a May 14 online article, new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show a decrease in deaths from drug overdoses nationwide. “In New Hampshire,” WMUR reported, “the CDC reported fewer than 270 overdose deaths in 2025, down roughly 5% from 2024. Despite the decline, officials said new substances continue to emerge, with 23 new drugs already identified in 2026.”

QOL score: +2

Comment:“Overdose deaths fell about 14% nationwide last year,” WMUR reported. “It marks the third consecutive year of declines, the longest stretch in decades. The biggest contributor has been a drop in overdoses involving fentanyl”

State college tuition may go up

As reported by the Portsmouth Herald in a May 15, online article, “Tuition bills across the University System of New Hampshire are proposed to increase for a second straight academic year following six years of frozen in-state fees.” There is a proposed 2.5 percent increase in undergraduate in-state tuition at the University of New Hampshire.

QOL score: -1

Comment: The University System of New Hampshire’s board of trustees will finalize the 2026-2027 tuition rates for UNH, Keene State College and Plymouth State University in June. Tuition at UNH “would jump to $16,304 for the 2026-2027 academic year, if the new rates are approved, an increase of about 2.5%. Out-of-state undergraduates would pay $37,996 for the year, also about a 2.5% increase,” the Herald reported. “Granite Staters attending UNH presently pay $15,908 per year for in-state tuition, compared to $37,070 for out-of-state students.”

Test scores are not encouraging

WMUR reported in a May 14 online article that “students nationwide are facing what researchers describe as a decade-long learning recession as test scores continue to decline. According to a recent report using data from the Education Scorecard and The Educational Opportunity Project, students across the country, including in New Hampshire, are performing worse academically than they were 10 years ago.” The article quoted Dartmouth College economics professor Doug Staiger, one of the report’s authors. ““From 2019 to 2022, students in New Hampshire, on average, lost about two-thirds of a grade level,” Staiger said. “That’s a lot.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: WMUR quoted professor Staiger, who said, “the decline began before the Covid-19 pandemic, though the pandemic accelerated the trend. While math scores have started to recover, reading scores continue to lag behind.” Chronic absenteeism and the rise of social media also probably play a role, he was quoted as saying.

QOL score last week: 51

Net change: 0

QOL this week: 51

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire?

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Sox still scuffling along

The Big Story – Baseball at the Quarter Turn: It has not been pretty for your Boston Red Sox. They’ve been getting killed for their weak offense, no power and lack of spending, leading an enterprising pilot to fly over Fenway one day pulling a banner behind begging the owners to sell the team. Other than that, the start’s been great.

Sports 101: Name the three second basemen to hit 300 career homers.

News Item – Patriots Schedule Out: For those outraged at the toughness of the Pats’ 2026 schedule: What did you expect? They got the easy one last year because they finished last twice in a row. Now they get the first-place schedule. That happened annually for 20 years, so what’s the big deal?

News Item – Rumor Mill: For those still whining about losing Raffy Devers: after hitting .207 with two homers and 11 RBI in April word is SF is having buyer’s remorse over his declining production vs. his massive contract. And while the numbers jumped to .240-5-18 by mid-May they are hardly game-changing. So with the record at just 15-24 whispers are growing that the West Coast G-Men are about to dump payroll with Raffy headed out the door again.

News Item – Red Sox at Quarter Turn:

Good: WithCeddanne Rafaela hitting .281 with four homers and 20 RBI it appears he’s taken the next step. Plus new starters Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez have been solid, as have surprising young’n Connelly Early and Payton Tolle.

Bad: They were 17-23, 11 out. In 2025 it was 18-22 and they still won 89 games.

Ugly: Jarren Duran, Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer and Caleb Durbin all hit under .200 as the Sox scored MLB’s second-fewest runs.

Injured List: Think Red Sox owner John Henry is down on his knees looking upward and saying please don’t be another Chris Sale? As the next lefty Henry gave big bucks to after the $150 million Sale fiasco was Garrett Crochet. He’s on the DL with inflammation in his left shoulder after pitching a career most 203 innings last year. Hmmm.

Noteworthy baseball things after 40 games:

NL Central: Every team was playing over .500 baseball, from the 27-15 first-place Cubs to last-place Cincy at 21-20.

Billion-Dollar Dodgers: Tied with Padres at 24-16 instead of running away with everything with their pricey team. The Sox had a second-worst 31 homers and 161 runs scored in 45 games.Worst in homers was Milwaukee’s 27, but they’re ninth in runs with 209 and were 24-17 while the Sox were 17-23. Milwaukee has just the 20th-highest payroll at $127 million. Boston is 12th at $197 million, while the team with the worst record after, the 15-25 Mets, has baseball’s highest at $335 million.

Free Agents That Got Away:

Pete Alonso — 8 homers, 22 RBI, .306 avg.

Alex Bregman — 3 homers, 13 RBI, .233 avg.

Xander Bogaerts — 7 homers, 22 RBI, .267 avg.

The Numbers:

11 – percent increase in fouls during NBA playoffs vs. the regular season.

16 – astonishingly few pitches thrown by Zack Wheeler to get the first nine Red Sox batters ou in Philly’s 2-1 win last week. According to published reports it’s the least needed to do that since 2000.

20 – “thank you very much Chaim Bloom” MLB-leading homer total (including two last week at Fenway) by Kyle Schwarber, who the power-poor Red Sox let walk 207 homers ago after 2021.

Sports 101 Answer: The 300-homer second basemen are Jeff Kent (354), Robinson Cano (335) and Rogers Hornsby (301).

Final Thought –RIP Award – Ted Turner: The CNN founder and Atlanta Braves manager for one game died last week at 87. His run as Braves owner produced 14 straight NL East titles, five NL pennants and a 1995 World Series title. He also owned the Atlanta Hawks, skippered the 1977 America Cup winning sailing team and founded the Goodwill Games. All while eventually revolutionizing cable TV and USA viewing habits. And he still had time to marry Jane Fonda.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/05/21

Memorial Day

It’s a weekend of Memorial Day parades and celebrations. Here are a few:

• The Amherst Memorial Day Parade takes place Friday, May 22, with a 5:30 p.m. start time in the Amherst Village Green, according to the Wreaths Across Amherst Facebook page.

• Hooksett’s Memorial Day Parade will be held Sunday, May 24, at noon at Lambert’s Park, according to a post on the Town of Hooksett’s Facebook page.

• The Memorial Day events in Epping will begin with a 21-gun salute and wreath-laying at four cemeteries starting at 7 a.m., followed by a parade beginning at 9 a.m. at the American Legion, 232 Calef Highway, and then a ceremony at Plumer Park, according to a post on the Epping American Legion Post 51 Facebook page.

• The Memorial Day Paradein Concord will start at 9 a.m. at the Christ the King Church on Thorndike Street, travel left onto Park Street, then left onto North State Street and another left onto Capitol Street to end at City Plaza, with a brief ceremony, according to concordnh.gov.

• The Brookline Memorial Day Ceremony will take place Monday, May 25, at 9:30 a.m. in front of Town Hall on Main Street hosted by the Brookline American Legion Post 74, according to brooklinenh.gov.

• The Memorial Day Parade in Milford takes place on Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m. beginning in the West Street Cemetery and traveling on Elm Street to the Milford Oval and then to the VFW, according to milford.nh.gov/news.

• The Derry Memorial Day Parade & Remembrance will take place on Monday, May 25, at 10:30 a.m. in Hoods Commons followed by a gathering at MacGregor Park at 11 a.m. for remembrance ceremony, speakers and music and a flag raising at noon, according to a post on the Derry Fire Department Facebook page.

• Nashua’s Memorial Day Parade will take place down Main Street on Monday, May 25, at 10:30 a.m., according to a press release.

• The Memorial Day Ceremony & Parade in Salem will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a short ceremony at Pine Grove Cemetery followed by a parade to Salem Common, where the ceremony will continue, according to salemnh.gov.

• A Memorial Day Parade & Remembrance Ceremony in Londonderry will take place Monday, May 25, at 11 a.m. at Robert Lincoln Way, traveling to Glenwood Cemetery and returning to the Town Common for a ceremony, according to londonderrynh.gov.

• The Manchester Veterans Council will hold its Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 25, at 2 p.m. on Elm Street from Bridge Street to Central Street, according to a press release. “Following the parade, the Council will dedicate the Gulf Wars and War on Terror Monument in Veterans Park,” the release said.

Celebration poster

The Manchester Arts Commission is looking for artists and graphic designers to participate in a poster contest to celebrate the city’s 180th anniversary and the country’s 250th anniversary, according to an item in the MEDO Minute newsletter from the City of Manchester Economic Development Office. Submissions are due May 31. See facebook.com/CityOfManchesterNHEconomicDevelopment for a post with all the submission details.

Brookford Farm, 250 West Road in Canterbury, 742-4084, is running a plant sale daily in May, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to an email from the farm. A farm visit also offers an opportunity to visit the animals in the barnyard and sample local products, the email said. See brookfordfarm.com.

The Pierce Brigade will feature “Saving the General’s House,” a presentation by Trish Jackson (chapter regent of the DAR Molly Stark Chapter) about the efforts to save the boyhood home of General John Stark on Wednesday, May 27, at 2 p.m. at the Pierce Manse, 14 Horseshoe Pond Lane in Concord, according to a press release. The Pierce Manse, the home of Franklin Pierce (the only U.S. president to come from New Hampshire), will open for the season on Thursday, May 28, with tours Thursdays, through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., through Oct. 24, the release said. See piercemanse.org.

The “Paws & Claws” art show will take place Thursday, May 28, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Sullivan Framing, 15 N. Amherst Road in Bedford, to raise funds for the Animal Rescue League of NH. Purchase a $125 6-inch by 6-inch original painting and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the League, according to sullivanframing.com and rescueleague.org. Complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Copper Door, the Rescue League website said.

The Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St. in Manchester, will host Art for Vets Community Day on Saturday, May 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for veterans, active service members and their families, featuring refreshments, a drop-in art activity and museum tours, according to an email from the Currier. At 1 p.m., “all museum visitors are welcome to attend a free auditorium Art Talk with sculptors participating in the 2026 Nashua International Sculpture Symposium,” the email said. See currier.org for details.

This Week 26/05/14

Friday, May 15

The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests will “celebrate the Merrimack Floodplain All Persons Trail located off Portsmouth Street in Concord” today from 1:30 to 3 p.m., according to forestsociety.org (click on “events”), where you can RSVP. The afternoon will feature a tour of the upgraded trail and refreshments by the river, the website said.

Saturday, May 16

It’s another big weekend of garden club plant sales, including the Goffstown Community Garden Club, which will hold its sale today from 8 a.m. to noon on the town common. Find a list of upcoming sales in the May 7 issue of the Hippo in the story on page 19; find the digital issue at hippopress.com. Have a plant sale? Let all your fellow green thumbs know! Send the information to adiaz@hippopress.com.

Saturday, May 16

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 1160 Bridge St. in Manchester, will host a multi-family yard sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a post on the church’s Facebook page.

Saturday, May 16

It’s the second and final weekend of the 2026 New Hampshire Renaissance Faire today and Sunday, May 17, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Brookvale Pines Farm, 80 Martin Road in Fremont. See nhrenfaire.com for tickets. For our story about the fair, see page 14 in the May 7 issue of the Hippo; find the digital issue at hippopress.com.

Saturday, May 16

Check out the New England contra dance tonight from 7 to 10 p.m. at the City-Wide Community Center, 14 Canterbury Road in Concord, according to an email about the event. Chris Ricciotti will serve as caller and the music will be performed by the Lamprey River Band, the email said. See concordnhcontra.wordpress.com. Beginners, singles and families are welcome, the email said.

Sunday, May 17

The New London Historical Society Fields, 179 Little Lake Sunapee Road in New London, will host Kite Fest today from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a post on the society’s Facebook page. The day will feature an opportunity to make and fly kites as well as food and more, the post said.

Sunday, May 17

Bedford holds its annual Pre-Memorial Day Sunday Parade today at 1 p.m. down County Road between Bedford High School and McKelvie Intermediate School, according to bedfordnh.myrec.com.

Tuesday, May 19

Get some mid-week ABBA with a screening of 2008’s Mamma Mia! The Musical in a sing-along format at Red River Theatres, 11 S. Main St. in Concord, today at 7 p.m., according to redrivertheatres.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Save the Date! Friday, May 22
The Manchester Community Music School will hold its fundraising Luau on Friday, May 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, according to mcmusicschool.org, where you can purchase tickets. The evening will include a traditional pig roast catered by Bentley’s Famous BBQ, live tropical music, a ukulele performance by the Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group, tropical drinks and island-inspired treats and more, the website said.

From bad to worse

Top Story – Celtics Playoff Loss Got Worse: Just when you thought the embarrassment of blowing a 3-1 series lead to the 76ers couldn’t get any worse, the Knicks then annihilated Philly in a four-game sweep. The biggest ignominy to Slow Joe and company was that they tied a playoff record by making 23 3-balls and shot 63% in two blowout wins vs. the same Philly D that held Boston to 27.7% on 3’s in three of their wins.

Interesting that no one complains when the 3’s are falling, isn’t it? Which re-enforces the point made here last week, that all their 3’s aren’t really the problem. It’s shot selection, where Slow Joe lets them just chuck up any 3 at any time over searching out better open 3’s by running through their offense and never adapts to Plan B when they don’t.

Sports 101: Friday is the 85th anniversary of when Joe DiMaggio started his legendary 56-game hitting streak on May 15, 1941. The best since was a 44-game streak done by who?

News Item – Welcome Back, Kotter: Merrimack product Mickey Gasper came back up from AAA to go 2-3 in the Sox’s 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay Sunday.

News Item – NBA Lottery is a Joke: There’s a clear irony of the NBA going to the lottery to prevent teams from tanking, which happened after Houston did it to make sure they could draft Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. Now several teams regularly tank for better draft position once out of the playoff race, the latest being a team with Anthony Davis and Trae Young somehow losing 26 of their last 27 to ensure getting the best pick they could, which happened by getting the top pick after winning Sunday’s lottery.

Local loss – Dave Bonner: The New Hampshire basketball community lost a great guy last week when he passed after a lengthy illness. The 6’8” giant played for Concord HS in the late ’60s before becoming the father of three D-I players, one of whom was a 12-year NBA pro. No New Hampshire family we know of has ever done that. Condolences to the family. RIP, big fella.

The Numbers

12 – playoff record blocks by 7’5” Victor Wembanyama in the Spurs’ Game 1 loss to the T-Wolves.

91 – years since the Cubs last won 10 straight in 1935 like last week.

Of the Week Awards…

Earth to Slow Joe Award: His guys were 49 for 147 (27.7%) on 3’s in their four losses to Philly. And bet it was worse in those fourth quarters.

Stat of the Year – Celtics: Guess those shocked they got knocked out in Round 1 weren’t paying attention, as they went 3-11 vs. the Top 5 playoff seeds during the regular season.

Bad Record Tied – James Harden: Interesting week for one of the biggest playoff chokers in history. First he tied Bob Cousy by shooting under 25% in a playoff game with at least 10 shots for the 20th time when he was 3-13 in Cleveland’s 107-97 Game 2 loss to Detroit. Then a game later kept the Cavs alive with the game winner in Game 3.

Sports 101 Answer: Pete Rose had everyone on high alert when the free-agent-to-be made a run for 56 in 1978 before it ended 12 short at 44.

Final Thought – A Little Streak History: The stat boys and New England deniers have been saying Ted Williams should have been the MVP instead because he hit .406 that same year and out-hit Joe D’s .408 (91-223), 15 homers and 55 RBI in every category during the same two-month period. However, those people have missed the point for 85 years. The only player to be as inspirational to his team’s success since was Yaz during the Impossible Dream season of 1967.

On May 15, 1941, the Yanks were languishing 6.5 games behind Cleveland in fourth place. The Sox were 13-10. And when it ended on July 15 the first-place Yanks led Cleveland by five games as they went 31-13 to take command of the AL race. They went on to win the pennant by a then AL record 20 games ahead of Ted and the Sox after clinching it on the earliest date in history, Sept. 4.

If you want to say based on the stats Ted was the Player of the Year, fine. But Joe D was the definition of most valuable. Which is what the award in saner times than today was about. Because if Williams didn’t play the Sox still won squat. And, oh by the way, after his o’fer, DiMaggio hit in his next 16 straight to make it an astonishing 72 out of 73 games.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!