Category: News

This Week 26/07/02

Thursday, July 2

Catch Back in Black: The True AC/DC Experience tonight at 8 p.m. at LaBelle Winery, 14 Route 111 in Derry, according to labellewinery.com, where you can purchase tickets. Find more concerts at area venues in our Concert listings on page 26.

Thursday, July 2

Keep Flying will play an all-ages show at Bungalow Bar & Grill, 333 Valley St. in Manchester, tonight with doors opening at 6 p.m., according to a post on Bungalow’s Facebook page, where you can find a link to purchase tickets. The bill also features Sotah, Have Fun!, Crash The Net and Semi Formal, the post said. Find more shows at area restaurants, bars and breweries in the Music This Week listings, which start on page 24.

Friday, July 3

Watch FIFA World Cup games with a crowd. See Australia play Egypt (at 2 p.m.) and then Argentina play Cabo Verde (6 p.m.), broadcast to the scoreboard in right field at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, according to a press release from the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Gates open at 1 p.m., admission is free, and guests should bring a blanket or towel for seating in the outfield, the release said. “Parking for the watch parties in the front lot of the stadium will be free on a first-come, first-served basis; the SNHU Garage will not be available for these events …. No outside food or beverage will be permitted, as food and beverage will be available for purchase during the watch parties. With Manchester city fireworks scheduled for 9 p.m., fans can exit the stadium and head to Arms Park to watch the fireworks,” the release said.

Friday, July 3

Start the weekend off with a mystery when more than 25 kids from Andy’s Summer Playhouse, 582 Isaac Frye Highway in Wilton, present A Staged Reading Through the Greenhouse Initiative: The Murder of Roger Ackroydon today at 7 p.m., according to andyssummerplayhouse.org, where you can find ticket information.

Sunday, July 5

Catch one of the rare matinees of the Prescott Park Arts Festival’s Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderellatoday at 1 p.m. in Prescott Park in Portsmouth, according to prescottpark.org, where you can reserve a table and pay for general admission donations in advance. The outdoor show runs through Aug. 9, running most Thursdays through Sundays at 7 p.m.

Monday, July 6

The Girls Scouts of the Green and White Mountains are offering a campette for girls entering grades K through 5, today through Friday, July 10, from 9 a.m. to noon in Derry, according to a press release. The cost is $100 for members, $160 for nonmembers and includes a year’s membership, the release said. “Sign up or find out more by emailing customercare@girlscoutsgwm.org or call 888-474-9686,” the release said.

Wednesday, July 8

Ernest Thompson, Oscar-winner for the screenplay of On Golden Pond, will be at Balin Books, 375 Amherst St., Somerset Plaza, in Nashua, today at 6 p.m. to discuss and sign his new book Out Clause, according to a press release. The event will include an author talk and Q&A and is free and open to the public, according to balinbooks.com.

Save the Date! Thursday, July 16
The Shakespeare on the Green production of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It at Saint Anselm College in Manchester has been moved a week earlier. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and runs Thursday, July 16, through Saturday, July 18, and then Thursday, July 23, through Saturday, July 25, according to tickets.anselm.edu, where tickets for adults are on sale for $25 per person (kids get in free, the website said).

Featured image: Last year’s production at St. Anselm College. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 26/07/02

A missing fledgling

As reported by Manchester InkLink in a June 29 online article, a newly hatched peregrine falcon is missing from its nest at the top of the Brady Sullivan Building in Manchester. “What should have been the first exhilarating flight of Manchester’s only surviving peregrine falcon chick this season has instead become a mystery,” the article read. According to observers, the female chick, named Madi after Mount Madison, fludged — an unsuccessful fledging that looks more like falling than flying — off her ledge early Saturday morning. Volunteers searched the ground near the building, and likely landing spots Madi might have glided to, but she had not been located as of Monday, June 29, the article said. According to Manchester InkLink: “If you see (or hear) Madi, contact NH Fish and Game at 603 271-3421, wildlife rehabber Maria Colby at 603 428-3723 or NH Audubon at 603-224-9909.”

QOL score: -1

Comment: You can find the live feed and a daily log posted in the comments of the first feed of the peregrine nest via nhaudubon.org (find “Peregrine Falcon” under the “Conservation” tab).

Some pig!

A June 19 press release from Gov. Ayotte’s office announced that she had signed HB 1013 into law, restricting “pig scrambles.” The legislation reads, in part, “No person shall operate, run, or participate in a contest, game, or other like activity, in which a pig, greased, oiled, or otherwise, is released and where the object is the capture of the pig. Any person who violates this paragraph shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”

QOL score: +1 because it sounds very stressful for the piglets … and the parents of kids who might “win” a pig?

Comment: Pig scrambles, sometimes also known as greased pig competitions, are usually activities at agricultural events and fairs.

Less good news for pigs

A recent survey conducted by fitness website InnerBody.com revealed that New Hampshire is very serious about backyard grilling. The state ranks fifth in the country in internet searches related to grilling. The same survey suggested that Granite Staters’ favorite food to grill is sausages, the 15th most popular home-grilled food, nationwide.

QOL score: +1 for getting as much outside time as we can in warm months, even when cooking dinner

Comments: According to the grilling survey, the most grill-curious states are in the Midwest, with Minnesota and Wisconsin leading online searches. Alaska and Washington, D.C., ask the fewest questions. The most popular grilled food, according to the survey, is burgers. Visit innerbody.com/americas-top-grilled-foods.

QOL score last week: 45

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 46

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

Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Sox sweep Yanks

The Big Story – Sox Shock Everyone: OK, did the Sox finally get the spark that has been missing all year by winning four straight over their archrivals over the weekend and finishing it in dramatic fashion Sunday by rallying for three runs in the 10th after going down 4-2 in the top half of the inning to win 5-4? Or is it an illusion for a team that’s played mostly awful all year turning it around at the expense of a struggling, injured opponent to be a viable playoff contender? Time will tell on that, starting with Washington and last-place L.A. of Anaheim and the world this week.

But one thing is certain: The pitching is looking better by the day with youngsters Connelly Early (6.0, 5 hits, 2 runs), Payton Tolle (7.0, 1, 0 r), Jake Bennett (6.1, 3 h, 1 r) along with the excellent all year Sonny Gray ( 7.0, 1 h, 0 r) dazzling all at Fenway this weekend.

Sports 101: Who was the first person elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame who played Little League baseball?

News Item – Celtics Lose Giannis Sweepstakes: The Greek Freak is one my favorite players to watch, ever, and one of the best players in the NBA who would have looked great in a Celtics uniform. But losing Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami was the phew momentof the week. Because so is Jaylen Brown, and the asking price of him and two first-round picks for a guy who’ll be 35 when the new extension is done would have been nuts.

News Item – World Cup Update: (1) With two wins to start and a “we need to be fresh in the next round” loss to Turkey in Game 3 they moved up in their power ranking from 24 at the start to 13 on Monday. (2) Canada advanced to the knockout round for the first time ever. (3) The great Lionel Messi scored his World Cup record 19th goal in Argentina’s 3-1 win over Jordan. (4) Next up for USA was 28th-ranked Bosnia-Herzegovina in their knockout round opener Wednesday (July 1) at 8 p.m. (locally) in SF.

News Item – NBA Draft and News Notes: (1) Nashua’s Ebuka Okorie became the earliest New Hampshire player ever taken in the NBA draft when he was taken 17th by the Detroit Pistons. Boo-ya, young fella. (2) The Celtics took one-and-done 6’11” project out of Houston Chris Cenac with the 27th pick. (3) All-Stars rumored to possibly be on the move are Ja Morant, Jamal Murray and Anthony Davis (again). (4) Golden State is reportedly after Davis as a way of luring free agent LeBron James to move north.

The Numbers:

105.5 – highest ever miles per hour thrown by dynamic Brewers hurler Jacob Misiorowski with a pitch he threw in last Friday’s 6-2 win over the Cubs.

33,353 – a non-sellout crowd with 4,000 empty seats vs. the Yankees Friday, showing how far the Sox have fallen from the good old SRO days at Fenway.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – Patrice Bergeron: The elegant Bruins center gets it after being elected to the hockey Hall of Fame, as he was a great player and a great example of what the sport has to offer.

Thumbs Down – Devers Insubordination Act – The Sequel: Always team first Rafeal Devers did it again. This time by initially refusing to leave for a pinch runner with the Giants trailing Miami 2-1 in the ninth. He eventually gave in and later said it was a “mis-communication.” What a guy.

Random Thoughts:

Marcelo Mayer getting hurt (again) after finally moving to his natural shortstop position is like Jimmy Garoppolo getting KOd in Game 2 of Tom Brady’s four-game Deflategate suspension.

Sports 101 Answer: The famous Long Island product and Red Sox great Carl Yastrzemski is the first LL player to make the Hall. He played for the Bridgehampton Lions on LI’s east end.

Final Thoughts – C’s Going Forward:

Fortunately for Celtic Nation, Brad Stevens is not nuts and wouldn’t go any higher than his final offer for Brown, which Milwaukee rejected.

Now he can work on filling their needs: (1) rearrangement of their salary cap, which could mean Brown or Jayson Tatum still could get moved; (2) building better, ready-for-action depth; (3) filling or fortifying the hole in the middle that was obvious playing Joel Embiid in their playoff loss to Philly.

With Naz Reid the top center target out after being traded, it needs to be at least two good players for one and first-round draft picks to give ammo for a future deal.

Up to six teams are kicking the tires, but Portland seems most interested. So how about Tatum to Portland for Deni Avdija (24.9 – 6.9-6.2), Jerami Grant (matching salary), their 2027 first-round pick and 2028, 2030 pick swaps they have from Milwaukee — who will likely stink for a long time after that awful return from Miami for Giannis.

Finally, happy 250th birthday, America!

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

News & Notes 26/07/02

Wanna build a plane?

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire is seeking a school to participate in the museum’s plane-build program for the 2027-2028 school year, according to a press release.

“The plane-build program is open to any educational institution enrolling students of high school age, including public, private, charter, and parochial schools” in New Hampshire or in Essex or Middlesex counties in Massachusetts, the release said. The museum has partnered with the Manchester School of Technology, Lebanon High School and Farmington High School to build two-seat all-metal aircrafts as part of a credit-earning course, with the airplane then sold to raise funds for future aircraft builds, the release said.

“The Aviation Museum of N.H. will commit to raising start-up funds of $320,000 needed to launch the plane-building program, after which it will be self-funding,” the release said. “The Aviation Museum will also supply a team of trained adult mentors with backgrounds in the aviation or aerospace industries to work alongside the students.” The project usually takes students two school years to finish, the release said.

“Interested districts are asked to submit a proposal to be considered. A copy of the Request for Proposals may be downloaded online at aviationmuseumofnh.org. Proposals are due by Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026,” the release said.

Friendly flix

Red River Theaters in Concord will launch “Popcorn & Pacifiers” weekly screenings for caregivers and children under the age of two on Tuesday, July 7, according to a press release. “Popcorn & Pacifiers screenings will take place every Tuesday at 10 a.m., offering an opportunity for parents, grandparents, and other caregivers to enjoy first-run films in a welcoming and family-friendly environment. … To better accommodate families, auditorium lights will remain at half brightness throughout the screening and films will be played at a quieter volume, allowing caregivers to comfortably tend to their children as needed,” the release said. “Films will be selected from Red River Theatres’ current first-run offerings and will be announced weekly as part of the theater’s regular schedule. Standard admission rates apply for caregivers; children under 2 are admitted free,” the release said. The first screenings will feature Toy Story 5, Supergirl and Backrooms, according to the theater.

Wildcats tix

Single-game tickets and parking for the six 2026 home football games of the University of New Hampshire Wildcats are on sale including for games on Homecoming (Oct. 3) and Family Weekend (Oct. 17), according to a press release. See unh.short.gy/FBTickets26. “Season and half-season ticket packages are also on sale now at that link,” the release said.

NH Film Fest

Passes for the 24th New Hampshire Film Festival are on sale at nhfilmfestival.com, according to a press release. Passes for the festival, which will run Thursday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 18, in Portsmouth, include a VIP pass (which offers special events and priority seating) as well as a festival pass (which includes entry to screenings, panels, ceremonies and workshops) and a NextGen pass for festival goers ages 40 and under, according to the website. “he festival continues to be an Academy Award® qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” the press release said.

Friday, July 3, from 4 to 8 p.m. is “First Friday Audiobook Night” at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, according to gibsonsbookstore.com. “Join us … for some quiet audiobook time! Bring a quiet craft, a puzzle, a coloring book, or just yourself, pop in your headphones and get some quality audiobook listening time,” the website said.

The 43rd Annual Seacoast Jazz Festival will take place Saturday, Aug. 22, noon to 6 p.m. at Prescott Park in Portsmouth featuring Yoko Miwa Trio (noon), Soggy Po’ Boys (1:15 p.m.), Nick Grondin Group (2:30 p.m.), Kristalis y Las Nenas del Swing (3:50 p.m.) and Seacoast Big Band (5 p.m.), according to a press release. See prescottpark.org.

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, will be at the Nashua Center for the Arts on Tuesday, July 7, at 7:30 p.m. in a discussion with Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston, according to balinbooks.com, where you can find a link to purchase tickets, which include a copy of the book Cancel Me If You Can.

Tickets are on sale now for screenings of 1975’s Jaws at Chunky’s in Manchester Friday, July 24, through Wednesday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. See chunkys.com.

This Week 26/06/25

Friday, June 26

School of Rock, a teen Actorsingers production of the stage musical featuring a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, will take place tonight, and Saturday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 28, at 2 p.m. at the Janice B. Streeter Theater, 14 Court St. in Nashua, according to actorsingers.org, where you can purchase tickets. “Based on the hit Jack Black film, this crowd pleaser follows slacker musician Dewey Finn as he bluffs his way into a prestigious prep school and transforms a class of straight A students into a mind-blowing rock band. With heart, humor and powerful anthems, it is a feel-good story about finding your voice and chasing your dreams,” the website said.

Friday, June 26

It’s the “Rolling Together Revue” tonight at The Range in Mason featuring Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love and Moon Taxi, according to therangemason.com, where you can purchase tickets. The show starts at 6 p.m., gates open at 5 p.m. Find more concerts this weekend and beyond in the cover story (which starts on page 8) and most weeks in our Concert listings in the Nite section.

Saturday, June 27

The New England Sea Glass and Craft Festival takes place today and tomorrow, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Whittemore Center at UNH in Durham, featuring more than 100 exhibitors, specialty foods and more, according to facebook.com/GNECraftArtisanShows, where you can find links to advance tickets.

Saturday, June 27

1776 The Musical In Concert, presented by the Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative and the Lakes Region Symphony Orchestra, will be on stage at the Colonial Theatre, 609 Main St. in Laconia, today with shows at 2 and 7 p.m., according to powerhousenh.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Saturday, June 27

Heritage in Bloom: A Garden Tour held by the Garden Club of Deerfield will take place today from 3 to 7 p.m. and feature “a self-guided tour through the gardens of historic homes and properties throughout Deerfield. Guests will have the opportunity to explore beautifully maintained landscapes rooted in the town’s rich agricultural and cultural history while enjoying the magic of a New England summer evening during the golden hour. More than a traditional garden tour, Heritage in Bloom offers a thoughtfully curated experience where music, art, and nature come together. Throughout the gardens, visitors will discover local musicians, artists, and special touches …,” according to a club press release. See givebutter.com/heritage-in-bloom for tickets.

Saturday, June 27

Catch comedian Lenny Clarke tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry. See tupelomusichall.com for tickets. Find more laughs this weekend and beyond in the Comedy This Week listings on page 23.

Sunday, June 28

The next New England Reptile Expo runs today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown, 700 Elm St. in Manchester, featuring more than 200 vendor tables, according to reptileexpo.com.

Save the Date! Sunday, June 28
2026 Creative Guts Short Film Festival will take place at Red River Theatres in Concord on Thursday, July 30, at 6 p.m., according to redrivertheatres.org, where you can purchase tickets now. “For the third year, Creative Guts Short Film Festival presents short films by independent filmmakers from New Hampshire and beyond. This 3-hour festival will feature various films and creatives of all backgrounds. The spirit of this festival is to celebrate the creativity, voice, and collaboration of filmmakers. All films will be open captioned,” according to the website.

Featured image: School of Rock. Courtesy photo.

USA rolls in World Cup

The Big Story: Golf’s U.S. Open is always a huge story, especially when it’s played at Long Island’s famed Shinnecock Hills.

But USA’s surprisingly quick advance to the World Cup knockout round tops that. They got there with impressive wins over Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), whose shocking 2-0 win over Turkey earlier opened the door to Round 2 for the U.S.

Sports 101: Which NBA team has had the most first overall picks in the draft with six? And how many of them can you name?

News Item – U.S. Open: Wyndham Clark became the ninth wire-to-wire winner of the Open Sunday at Shinnecock Hills. But, despite setting a 36-hole low score record, it wasn’t easy, as he let all but one stroke of his six-shot lead to start Sunday get away before claiming his second Open title.

News Item – Red Sox Update: They start the week 14.5 back, last in the AL East at 31-43 and six behind for the last Wild Card spot.

News Item – World Cup Notables:

Paraguay somehow beat Turkey 1-0 despite playing the entire second half with 10 guys because a player got ejected for some rule that doesn’t let you cover your mouth and yell at an opponent. What’s next — tell their mommies after yellow cards?

Tough run for Germany beating (7-1) a Caribbean country no one ever heard of besides maybe Club Med staffers, and Ivory Coast, who hasn’t been in the World Cup since 2014.

Draw your own conclusions whether it’s good or bad that 15 of the first 27 World Cup games have ended with 0-0, 1-0 and 1-1 scores.

The Numbers:

33 – million viewers tuned in to watch Game 5 to be the largest numbers of viewers for an NBA Finals game since 1998 during the Michael Jordan era.

47 – record number of times Milwaukee hurler Jacob Misiorowski hit 101-plus on the gun in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Atlanta.

10,000 – incredible number of police officers deployed to work crowd control for the Knicks victory parade in NYC.

… Of the Week Awards

Thumbs Up – JayWright:When you get it right you get it Wright. Hats off to ex-Villanova head coach for the recruiting judgment to first put the three Nova Knicks, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, together to become the first college trio to play together on NCAA and NBA championship teams. With the kicker being historically ending New York’s 53-year title drought.

Numbers Don’t Lie Award: Boy, that Raffy Devers was a real game-changer in SF. We just passed the one-year anniversary of SF getting him in the controversial trade. Contrary to all the yacking here about how great he was, the G-Men were 63-91 with him on the anniversary date

Alumni News – Braden Montgomery: If you’re interested, the Red Sox’ switch-hitting 2024 first-round pick, who went to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet deal, just got called up to the big club. His combined 2026 numbers in 73 AA/AAA games before the promotion projected over a full season to 30 homers, 123 RBI, .315.

Sports 101 Answer: Cleveland – Austin Carr, Brad Daugherty, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins.

Final Thought – Pre-Draft NBA Rumors and Other Stories:

I’m filing this on Monday morning before the draft.

The Celtics have the 27th and 40th picks, so real immediate help is likely not coming there.

The Jaylen Brown and Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors are still swirling. Though I’m betting Brown isn’t traded there. Two interesting names bandied about in Celtics trade rumors are New Orleans wing Trey Murphy and T-Wolves back-up center Naz Reid.

Speaking of dumb. After looking stupid all through the last two playoffs for letting Finals MVP Brunson walk for less money than it cost to re-sign Irving instead, now word is Irving is on the block after not even playing a full season there to go young. Minnesota is rumored as the next team dumb enough to bring him there to mess up their team.

Earth to NBA media — Golden State is not only done, but they have been since 2023. You’re doing what the golf media does making a big deal any time Tiger enters a major when it’s been 15 years since he was Tiger! It’s over for GS’s admirable four-championship run just as it is for Tiger.

If he wants to win, the best place for Giannas is San Antonio to lead that young, talented but too small team and mentor Wemby, who needs it. It’s also great for Milwaukee because they have much available young talent and nine first-round picks or pick swaps available through 2030 to rebuild around. Except GA supposedly wants to live in Miami, whose offer is awful.

A Celtics trade I’d prefer is Brown to Houston for wing Amen Thompson and big Jabari Smith. And if Brad Stevens can somehow get a first-round pick thrown in, I’ll take that too.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.

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