Category: News

This Week 26/10/15

Thursday, Oct. 15

New Hampshire Film Festival, nhfilmfestival.com, will take place at the Music Hall and other locations in Portsmouth today through Sunday, Oct. 18, according to the website, where you can find available pass packages and find updates about the schedule and festival line-up. In addition to shorts blocks that run throughout the weekend, the schedule includes the documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem (Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. at The Music Hall); a comedy panel with host Greg Kretschmar (Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at 3S Artspace); Fatherland (Oct. 17 at 6:15 p.m. at The Music Hall); We Are The Shaggs (Oct. 18 at 12:30 p.m. at 3S Artspace), and an evening with Alicia Silverstone and a screening of Clueless (Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.), among many panels and screenings, according to the website.

Friday, Oct. 16

The Far Out, which describes itself as “a funk and soul pop band from Boston, Massachusetts,” will perform tonight at 7 p.m. at the Andres Institute of Art Welcome Center, the Big Bear Lodge, 106 Route 13 in Brookline, according to andresinstitute.org, where you can purchase tickets. See video clips of the band at thefarout.band.

Friday, Oct. 16

New art alert! “Harvest Hues” opens today and will run through Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Kimball Jenkins Mansion, 266 N. Main St. in Concord, kimballjenkins.com, with a reception on Oct. 18 from 1 to 3 p.m., the website said. “Home Sweet Home,” featuring fiber art, glass, and pottery from Lisa Almeida, Laura Morrison, Anne Boedecker, Verne Orlosk, Sarah Burns and Cheryl Miller, will run at Two Villages Art Society 846 Main St. in Contoocook, twovillagesart.org, Saturday, Oct. 17, through Saturday, Nov. 14, with a reception on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., the website said.

Friday, Oct. 16

Queens, a play by the Pinkerton Players about King Henry VIII in purgatory, will be presented at Stockbridge Theatre, 5 Pinkerton St., Derry, pinkertonacademy.org/stockbridge-theatre, tonight through Sunday, Oct. 18 (7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. on Sunday), according to the website, where you can purchase tickets. “King Henry VIII is trapped in purgatory … In his gilded cage, he is forced to relive the sins he committed against his six queens, his mistresses, and the people of the court in his life,” the website said.

Friday, Oct. 16

Get in the spooky mood at The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a “Halloween Old Time Radio production,” which will be presented by Epping Community Theater, 38 Ladds Lane, Epping, eppingtheater.org, tonight at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m., according to the website, where you can purchase tickets.

Saturday, Oct. 17

Deerfield Arts Tour takes place today and Sunday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and features artists at 10 locations according to deerfieldarts.com, where you can find a map of the studios and get a preview of the artists involved.

Saturday, Oct. 17

A New England contra dance will take place at the City-Wide Community Center (14 Canterbury Road in Concord, concordnhcontra.wordpress.com) on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 7 to 10 p.m., according to an organizer’s email. “Beginners, singles, families welcome. $10, ages 15-25 $5, under 15 free,” the email said.

Sunday, Oct. 18

Neko Case brings her “Neon Grey Midnight Green Tour” along with Destroyer to the Nashua Center for the Arts tonight at 7 p.m., according to nashuacenterforthearts.com, where you can purchase tickets.

Save the Date! Monday, Dec. 28
One of the hallmarks of the “between the holidays week” in Manchester returns with the Harlem Globetrotters Rivalry Tour on Monday, Dec. 28, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the SNHU Arena, 555 Elm St. in Manchester, according to snhuarena.com, where you can purchase tickets.

Brown out as C’s start

The Big Story – Celtics Are Back: The new-look Celtics open their season Tuesday vs. Detroit. It’ll give Celtic Nation their first look at Paul George and Mitchell Robinson. Robinson will help the inner D and rebounding, while the big question for the perpetually injured 36-year-old George is how many games he can play after averaging just 48 a year the last seven seasons.

That’s the big number for the C’s, as George will need to play a lot more games than usual as he steps into the gigantic hole left behind by the departure of Jaylen Brown.

We’ll see how that works out starting Tuesday.

Sports 101: Name the only two to win an NCAA Basketball title, an Olympic gold medal and NBA titles as a player and a coach.

News Item – Baseball Payroll Battle: Sox owner John Henry must be rooting hard for Milwaukee in the NLCS. That’s because it features L.A., with baseball’s highest payroll at $410 million, vs. the team with MLB’s most wins despite just the 28th-ranked payroll at $130 million. The latter represents the “scouting and drafting well” approach Henry wanted for his Red Sox when he downsized the payroll. Said another way, it’s the battle of “it’s not how much you spend, it’s how you spend it.”

News Item – Pats Crush Raiders 45-17

• Good News – Drake Maye: He’s back to normal in going 26-34 for 374 yards and four TDs.

• Bad News – Injuries Galore: They already have put more guys on IR in 2026 than in all of 2025. Sunday it was top two 2026 draft picks Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson reinjuring a knee/MCL and ankle respectively.

• The Pleasant Surprise – Kyle Williams: I told you guys he would be better than you thought. It’s a small sample size, but after three catches for 91 yards and a TD, his career yard per catch average of 22.9 is now best in NFL history. Homer Jones’ 22.5 for the 1960s Giants is the record.

• Best Development – Zak Kuhr: You have to love how aggressive the Pats’ young DC is in dialing up pressure with the blitz. Most aggressive Pats DC since Brian Flores in 2018.

News Item – WNBA Surprise: I couldn’t name one player on the Golden State Valkyries but I’m sure the Las Vegas Aces can after the three-time defending champs got swept out of the playoffs by the second-year expansion team. Only thing left for A’ja Wilson and the rest of the WNBA’s petty players is to find a way to blame their demise on Caitlin Clark.

News Item – Speaking of Clark: “Las Vegas-Golden State averaged 1.12 million [viewers] on NBC and Peacock, according to figures NBC supplied to OutKick,” wrote Dan Zaksheske for Outkick in a story published Oct. 8 on foxnews.com. It was a respectable number but it pales in comparison to the numbers watching Clark and Indiana vs. LV, as “Just one Sunday earlier, Indiana’s first-round opener against Las Vegas averaged 2.11 million viewers on ABC,” the Outkick story said.

The Numbers:

3 –wins in five games for Coach B and UNC after their 21-17 win over Pittsburgh Saturday.

20 –combined penalties by the Pats and Raiders on Sunday for 218 yards.

51 – my over-under for the games George is able to play for Boston this year.

… Of the Week Awards

RIP – Mike Ditka: Has any coach of any team in any sport ever looked more like his team’s mascot than the big fella when he was coaching the Chicago Bears in the 1980s? The one word that best described this bigger-than-life character as a player or a coach was “tough.” Though punishing, intimidating and fearless also come to mind for the western Pennsylvania native. Lost in all of it is that he was a great player and the first tight end elected to the Hall of Fame in Canton.

In Case You’re Interested: James Tibbs III, who the Red Sox got in the Rafael Devers deal and then flipped to (of course) the Dodgers for Dustin May, hit .287 with 30 homers, 32 doubles and 107 RBI in AAA.

Random Thoughts:

DeMario Douglas’s dance after scoring the opening drive TD vs. Vegas was the worst local celebration dance since Antoine Walker used the Walker Wiggle to turn most of Celtic Nation against him.

Sports 101 Answer: Bill Russell and K.C. Jones.

Final Thought – Biggest Celtics Question Marks:

Does Jayson Tatum have the competitive leadership skills they need without Brown?

How do they fill the Jaylen Brown hole when George misses the usual 30 games? Or at the foul line, where JB had 400 more FTs than PG last year?

After costing his team its last two playoff series losses due to stubbornness and a complete inability to close out tight games, will Slow Joe Mazzulla learn from it or will he be the biggest reason they get swept out of the playoffs early for a third straight season?

Can Hugo Gonzalez improve his shooting enough beyond 5 feet to be the needed most improved player on the team?

Season Prediction: 54-28, third in the East.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

Quality of Life 26/10/15

I know marrows, and that is a big marrow!

According to an Oct. 6 press release issued by the Deerfield Fair, several new records were set for giant vegetables at this year’s Fair, which took place Oct. 1 through Oct. 4. “Taking center stage at this year’s weigh-off,” the press release announced, “was a monumental achievement in the giant marrow (zucchini) category. Sarah Whitty of Veazie, Maine, stunned judges and spectators alike by setting both a new United States record and a new North American record. Her prized marrow, affectionately named ‘Secretariat,’ officially tipped the scales at an incredible 170 pounds. Whitty’s victory is a massive leap forward for competitive growers across the continent, completely dominant compared to past standards.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The press release reported, “The standing World Record for a giant marrow was set in 2021 at 256.62 lbs.” Other record-breaking vegetables from this year’s Fair included a field pumpkin state record of 178 lbs., grown by Bruce Whitter of Henniker, N.H., and a giant tomato state record of 6.38 lbs, grown by Hiram Watson of Farmington, N.H.

Your grandkids will not believe this

An Oct. 9 online article by New Hampshire Public Radio reported that the New Hampshire Time Capsule Project sought “photographs, letters, artwork and other items that capture what it’s like to grow up in New Hampshire in 2026. The time capsule will be buried … and, if everything goes as planned, will be dug up on July 4, 2075.” The Project took input from current students, including “letters to [their] future selves and predictions about technology and life 50 years into the future.”

QOL score: +1

Comment: The burial ceremony will take place Friday, Oct. 23, from 2 to 4 p.m. at 212 Fisherville Road. in Concord. The plan is to reopen the time capsule on July 4, 2075, to celebrate Concord’s 300th anniversary.

Housing and poverty in New Hampshire

According to an Oct. 7 online article by New Hampshire Public Radio, “A new analysis from the Pew Charitable Trusts finds that high housing costs in New Hampshire are driving some residents into poverty. The state ranked 10th in a list of states with the highest share of poverty caused by housing costs.” The NHPR story continued: “According to New Hampshire Housing, renters would need to earn $80,440 a year to afford the statewide median rent of $2,011 per month. In addition to the shortage of rental units, the high costs of purchasing a home also affect rental prices.“

QOL score: -1

Comment: According to data in the Pew report, New Hampshire’s overall poverty rate is 16 percent, and our childhood poverty rate is 22 percent. To find the report, search for “Pew, housing, poverty.” Visit nhhousing.org.

QOL score: 63

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 64

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/10/15

Peregrine falcon news

A New Hampshire Audubon newsletter for October had this update on the peregrine falcon breeding season: “Peregrine Falcon numbers in New Hampshire showed a slight downturn this year, compared to 2025 and 2024. In 2024, New Hampshire’s Peregrines fledged an impressive 50 chicks, followed by 44 in 2025, and 36 in 2026. Just 31 territorial pairs were confirmed this year, while 37 were recorded in 2025 and 28 in 2024.”

“However, if we compare the total fledglings per incubating pair, 2026 and 2025 were similar — 1.64 fledglings per nest in 2026 and 1.57 fledglings per nest in 2025. Again, 2024 was an especially impressive and productive year, with 2.17 fledglings per nest,” according to the NH Audubon News report, written by Mickayla Johnston.

See the full report at nhaudubon.org/about-us/news. Find more in the forthcoming From the Field at joyofbirding.nhaudubon.org/from-the-field, the newsletter said.

Save the waste date

The Nashua Regional Planning Commission will hold the final household hazardous waste collection of 2026 on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Nashua Park and Ride, 25 Crown St. in Nashua, according to a Commission press release. The event is open to residents of “Amherst, Brookline, Hollis, Hudson, Litchfield, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, Pelham, and Windham. Businesses must call NRPC to register and pay,” the release said. The cost is $20 per vehicle for up to 10 gallons of liquids or 20 pounds of solids, cash or check, the release said. “No Latex/Acrylic Paint, No Electronics, No Medications,” the release said. See nashuarpc.org/hhw or call 417-6570.

Pictures for music

The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra is holding its “Drawn to the Music” program for students in grades 3 to 5, according to a press release. “This year’s program is devoted to Ferde Grofé’s colorful and imaginative Grand Canyon Suite. Students will listen to the music, create original artwork inspired by what they hear, and have the opportunity for their work to be selected and projected during live NH Philharmonic performances on Saturday, April 17, and Sunday, April 18, 2027, at 2 p.m. at the Seifert Performing Arts Center in Salem, New Hampshire,” the release said. The Drawn to the Music program has run since 2008, the release said. For this year’s contest, kids can listen to the five movements of the suite and create an artwork inspired by one or more of the scenes, the release said. “Teachers are encouraged to introduce students to the Grand Canyon Suite during the fall and winter. Artwork may be created using a variety of classroom art media and … [should] be no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches,” the release said. The submission deadline is Feb. 1. See nhphil.org/drawn-to-the-music for details.

Writers conference

The 603 Writers’ Conference, hosted by the New Hampshire Writers Project, will take place Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, according to a press release. The day will feature expert-led workshops, a moderated AI panel discussion, a “Pitch Party & Social” and more, the release said. Author Chris Bohjalian will be the keynote speaker; the conference’s theme is “The Evolution of the Female Narrative,” the release said. To register and for a full schedule, see nhwritersproject.org.

The Antique Automobile Club of America, Granite State Region, will hold its Vintage and Antique Car Show on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Canterbury Shaker Village, 288 Shaker Road in Canterbury, according to a Village email. The day will also feature a raffle, live music from Nicole Knox Murphy, food and more, the email said. See shakers.org for ticket information. See hopkintonhistory.org for tickets.

The Squam Lakes Association has two days of lake-adjacent happenings this weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 17, it’s a Fall Workday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., when volunteers will be “tidying up the SLA campus and campsites as we wrap up for the season,” according to a press release. See squamlakes.org/event/volunteer-fall-workday. On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Association will hold “Guided Hike” Rattlesnake Sunrise” from 5:45 to 9 a.m., when participants can hike up the summit of West Rattlesnake for a view of Squam Lake, the release said. See squamlakes.org/event/rattlesnake-sunrise-hike.

The Lead and Healthy Housing East Coast Regional Conference will be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, through Thursday, Nov. 5, at the Doubletree by Hilton in downtown Manchester featuring speakers and a contractor forum, according to an event email. See lhhconferences.com/conferences/manchester-regional-conference.

This Week 26/10/08

Friday, Oct. 9

Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Live will be presented at the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Swope Theater, 44 S. Main St., Concord, today at 7 p.m., according to ccanh.com, where you can purchase tickets.

Friday, Oct. 9

Between the Lines Jr., a Fall Youth MainStage production presented by Peacock Players (peacockplayers.org), opens this weekend at Janice B. Streeter Theatre, 14 Court St., Nashua, and will run from Friday, Oct. 9, through Sunday, Oct. 18, with shows at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays (as well as a 10 a.m. performance on Thursday, Oct. 15), according to the website, where you can purchase tickets. “Between the Lines Jr. is an empowering and enchanting musical for anyone who has struggled to find their place in the world. An outsider in a new town and a new school, Delilah seeks comfort in the pages of her favorite book, where she feels heard and understood by the handsome Prince Oliver. But as the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur in extraordinary ways, Delilah realizes her dreams in the real world are worth fighting for,” the website said.

Saturday, Oct. 10

It’s an arts tour weekend! Monadnock Art Open Studio Tour runs today through Monday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with at least 84 artists in 65 studios in Peterborough, Dublin, Jaffrey, Sharon, Harrisville, Hancock and Marlborough, according to an email from Monadnock Art and monadnockart.org, where you can find a map of participating locations and see works from the artists. The New Hampshire Wool Arts Tour will run today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at five farms in Deering, Antrim, Bennington, Greenfield and Lyndeborough and will feature demonstrations (creating yarn, weaving, knitting, felting and more), live music, live animals, food vendors, fiber vendors, artists and crafters set up at the farms and more, according to woolartstournh.com, where you can find locations and descriptions of participating farms.

Saturday, Oct. 10

A Fall Fair at Joppa Hill Educational Farm in Bedford will take place today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will feature hayrides, farm animal meet-and-greets, vendors, live entertainment, food trucks, apple cider doughnuts and more, according to jhef.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Saturday, Oct. 10

See the works of artists June Latti, Ben Wymer, Mark Ruddy, Scarlet Hao, Darren Taylor, Erica Bodwell and Robyn Witney Fairclough at the Oct. 9 through Nov. 9 Show at Glimpse Gallery, 4 Park St., Concord, which is open by appointment, according to its website. There will be an opening reception today from 5 to 7 p.m., according to theglimpsegallery.com, where you can RSVP to attend.

Sunday, Oct. 11

The Not Afraid To Fail Fest, held by Queerlective (queerlective.com), will take place today at 1 p.m. at BNH Stage in Concord, according to the website. “This benefit and variety show brings together first-time performers, emerging artists, and community members willing to step outside their comfort zones and try something big. Expect comedy, music, poetry, storytelling, drag, performance art, creative experiments, and ideas we may not have imagined yet,” according to the website, where you can purchase tickets.

Monday, Oct. 12

Indigenous People’s Day at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner on Monday, Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will feature free admission and hands-on activities, according to indianmuseum.org.

Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 17
The 2026 Mount Uncanoonuc Brewfest will take place Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mountain Base Brewery, 553 Mast Road in Goffstown, which cohosts the 21+ event along with the Worker Bee Fund. The day will feature breweries and other beverage purveyors, food vendors, live music and more, according to Mountain Base Brewery’s Facebook page, where you can find a link to purchase tickets.

Sox bow out badly

The Big Story – Sox Go Down Hard:Well, the Red Sox season ended pretty much the way it started — badly — as they were swept out of the playoffs for the second year in a row by the Yankees. Making it worse was being run over by Boston area products their local scouts whiffed on, Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler, who they’ll now have to deal with for years, along with looking so overmatched against a team missing Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

In the end it left all wondering who they actually were. The team that burned through most of June and July? Or the one that went 15-15 in their last 30 games?

See you next spring.

Sports 101: Who holds the NFL career record for most receptions by a non-drafted player?

News Item – Pats Beat Bills 26-24

Phew! That was close. But amid an up-and-down start they finished where they needed to be after their tough opening four games at 2-2.

Biggest highlights: (1) Drake Maye had a couple of scary plays, but in throwing for 268 yards and three TDs he looked back on track. (2) Spectacular one-handed catches by Romeo Doubs and Efton Chism on the Pats’ last two TDs. (3) Decent job by the D containing Josh Allen without the Christians Barmore and Gonzalez.

Special teams: Bad all day by allowing several big kickoff returns and the punter kept killing the net gain by sending booming punts into the end zone rather than dropping them inside the 20.

The Numbers:

17 – catches by Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb for 189 yards in Dallas’ comeback 36-30 win over Houston.

94.8 – the average mph of all 2026 MLB pitches according to MLB Statcast, up from 91.9 mph when tracking began in 2015.

658 – days (and 643 attempts) between interceptions before Minkah Fitzpatrick got one to end the Jets’ 21-game streak without a pick. Though they’re still the Jets, who lost 23-12 to a Bears team using their third-string QB.

… Of the Week Awards:

• Thumbs Up – Drake Maye: Patriot Nation gets to breathe easier since he returned to normal on Sunday.

• Thumbs Down – U of Texas DE Colin Simmons and RB Raleek Brown: For their vulgar on-field “celebrations” during the top-ranked Longhorns win over Tennessee.

• Quote of the Week: Texas AD Chris Del Conte wrote“… it was embarrassing to our proud and widely respected football team…” in a blog post apologizing for his nitwit players. Nice, but a two-game suspension would have been better.

• Play of Week – Igor Shesterkin: The New York Rangers have had 93 goaltenders since entering the NHL in 1926-1927. And none had scored a goal until Thursday when Shesterkin buried an empty netter in NY’s opening night 5-1 win over Tampa Bay.

Sports 101 Answer: With 903 Wes Welker has the record for most NFL receptions by an undrafted player.

Final Thoughts – On The Red Sox’ Demise

• Chad Tracy: He deserves much credit for righting the ship after taking over for Alex Cora. But, while they still would’ve lost, he turned manageable deficits into full Yankee blowouts by panicking to yank Payton Tolle and especially Sonny Gray far too early.

• Roman Anthony: Lost year for a guy who many thought was on track to be Yaz-like. He’ll be more of a question mark next spring because after missing most of 2026 and with his first two seasons ending early he’s starting to look brittle.

• Early Signings Strategy: With Anthony missing most of the year, Brayan Bello being so awful he got sent to AAA in June and Kristian Campbell still buried there, the “let’s sign the young guys early” strategy to lower their cost as the career progresses ain’t working out too well.

• Off-Season Work Ahead: To start, they need; a BIG bopper to hit fourth, to re-sign Gray and a permanent second baseman.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

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