Category: Outdoors

Kiddie Pool 24/04/25

Family fun for whenever

Extra aviation

Check out the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) on Thursday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — one of the extra days the museum is open for April vacation week. From 1 to 4 p.m., operators will be on duty for kids ages 12 and up to try the Elite Flight Simulator, according to a press release. Admission costs $10 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6 to 12 (and for veterans) and free for kids under 6. The museum’s regular hours are Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.

A quieter storytime

Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua) will host Sensory Story Time on Thursday, April 25, from 1:30 to 2 p.m. This is designed for kids in grades K-5 who have sensory processing challenges or autism, according to the website. The program will include a set schedule for kids to follow along, quieter music, and dimmed lights. Participants are encouraged to bring their own sensory seating and fidgets, according to the website. Visit nashualibrary.org.

A senatorial storytime

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan is scheduled to attend the storytime on Friday, April 26, at 1:30 p.m. at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com). The event is free; register online.

Movie night

Need some family entertainment? Shrek 2 (PG, 2004) is screening at the Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Manchester (707 Huse Road; chunkys.com). See it Thursday, April 25, at 2:30 p.m.

Science Playground

Weather permitting, the Science Playground at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Way in Concord; starhop.com) will open for the season on Wednesday, May 1. The center itself is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sunday, April 28 (and then reverts to regular school year hours of Wednesdays through Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.). The playground is part of the regular admission to the center, which costs $13 for adults, $12 for ages 13 through college or 62+ and $10 for ages 3 to 12. Planetarium shows cost an additional $7 per person; see the website for a schedule.

And on this farm there was a summer camp

From Sheep Week to Cow Week, Joppa Hill has all the farm fun

By Zachary Lewis
zlewis@hippopress.com

On a 35-acre parcel of land, The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill provides a path to learning about life on a farm for the whole family with their friendly menagerie of livestock and volunteers to guide you along the way. The farm is open and free to the public from sun-up to sundown every day of the year. Visitors can feed the animals, explore extensive trails, or take part in one of the many events, like fairs, concerts and even a Christmas tree bonfire after the holiday season.

The Farm and barnyard family will be growing this year.

“We are excited to announce that we are acquiring new animals,” Kim Wall, a member of their board of directors, said, and they will be “rebuilding our bunny enclosure, just to give you a hint of some of the animals that might be coming, and … we are redoing all the fencing around the farm and around the animal enclosures.” These additions and renovations will enhance an already pleasant environment.

Because it is an educational farm, Joppa Hill has a bountiful harvest of programs to educate the public throughout the year. One particular program that gets a lot of attention is the summer camp.

“There are kids who will sign up for multiple weeks,” of camp, Wall said. She pointed out a perk to visiting the Farm or attending summer camp: “You can play with these animals and not have them at home.”

Katie Schelzel, Farm Manager and Camp Director, gets a lot of joy from running the summer camp.

“It is so fun to watch [campers] gain ownership in the success of the farm and caring for the animals and taking care of the property and going inside of the barn,” Schelzel said. “My favorite part of camp is when parents come and pick the kids up … and they pull their exhausted parents around the entire farm and show them every animal in detail and stories of all the things they learned throughout the day, and I am an exhausted parent so I know what that’s like, but it’s a real treat to watch them feel so proud of what they do.”

Each camp is centered on activities tailored to a specific barnyard animal.

“For cow week we make butter. For horse week, we’re grooming the horses and bathing the horses. Chicken week we do a lot of experimentation with eggs.’ she said. “There’ll be farm- and animal-themed books. Daily lessons and activities about the animals are what really change.”

Some things are the same every week.

“We have eight weeks, we’re considering adding a ninth, and each week has a different animal theme but every day of every week has the same general routing.” Schelzel said. “Every day kids will do barn chores such as collecting eggs, measuring feed for the animals, or mucking the horse stalls. They’ll go on daily nature hikes.”

Sixty spots per week are available for kids ages 5 to 12 with two cohorts, the first for ages 5 to 8 and the other for 9 to 12, so that the experience is tailored to their age range. The day on the farm goes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and registration starts in late March. Farm members get priority registration.

“It’s really structured so that kids could come for every week and still have something new every week,” Schelzel said. “Even if a week fills up, there’s a waitlist, which isn’t ust like the pie-in-the-sky waitlist …. As parents, you know, you sign your kids up in the spring and then you get an opportunity for summer plans and you have to change your week — so I would definitely encourage parents to use the waitlist … it’s rolling, so there isn’t a deadline.”

The first week of camp starts June 17, and it’s Sheep Week.

Schelzel signed her own daughter up a few years ago and she’s never looked back.

“My daughter actually went five, six years ago to camp, which is how I originally was introduced to the farm,” she said. “And then I started volunteering … working for the farm, and now I’m the Farm Manager and Camp Director and have an amazing team that helps keep it updated … and having an exciting curriculum to learn and be really hands-on with the animals.”

Fresh air with blue skies or rain clouds can’t be beat.

“There’s something naturally therapeutic about being out in nature and with animals all day. One of the most special things about the farm is that everybody leaves happy. Parents can feel good when they pick their kids up at the end of the day that they’re learning about nature and about animals,” Schelzel said. “They’re learning about teamwork and organization and responsibility and they’re having fun while doing it.”

Summer camp with farm animals

The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill
174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford
theeducationalfarm.org, 472-4724

Camp is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., $350 per week.
Ages 5 – 8, limited to 30 campers per week.
Ages 9 – 12, limited to 30 campers per week.

Extended day option (limited to 15 campers) offers early drop-off (8 a.m.) and late pick-up (by 5 p.m.) for $75 per week.

Snack boost: $20 per week.
Sheep Week | Week 1: June 17 – June 21
Alpaca Week | Week 2: June 24 – June 28
Duck Week | Week 3: July 8 – July 12
Goat Week | Week 4: July 15 – July 19
Bunny Week | Week 5: July 22 – July 26
Horse Week | Week 6: July 29 – Aug. 2
Chicken Week | Week 7: Aug. 5 – Aug. 9
Cow Week | Week 8: Aug. 12 – Aug. 16

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 24/04/18

Family fun for whenever

Earth Day at the Museum

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; 742-2002, childrens-museum.org) will hold an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 20, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. The planned activities include Earth-friendly crafts, planting, a scavenger hunt and more. Reserve spots online for a session in advance; admission costs $12.50, $10.50 for seniors.

Art camp!

• The Currier Museum of Art’s (150 Ash St., Manchester) April Vacation Art Camp: Sailors and Sea Monsters runs Monday, April 22, through Friday, April 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Currier’s exhibit “Stories of the Sea” is the impetus behind this camp, which will include a variety of exciting multi-media art-making experiences, guided museum tours and gallery activities, according to their website. Three cohorts will be composed of kids ages 6 and 7, ages 8 to 10 and ages 11 to 14. An exhibition of their artwork will be held Thursday, April 25, at 3:45 p.m. Registration is $375 for non-members, $337.50 for members, with tuition discounts available, and all art materials will be provided, according to the website. Visit currier.org or call 518-4922.

Teddy bears!

• Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., Manchester) is hosting its annual Teddy Bear Picnic on Tuesday, April 23, at 11:30 a.m. Participants will gather with their teddy bears in the children’s room and then, when everyone is ready, parade through the library and out to the side lawn for a picnic, according to the website. Participants should bring their own bag lunch and beverage to enjoy at the picnic. At noon Mr. Aaron will be on the south lawn for a foot-stomping concert, according to the same site. Registration is not required. Call 624-6550, ext. 7628.

Experiment!

• Later that same day, Tuesday, April 23, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Manchester City Library will host Elementary Experiments. This activity is for anyone in grades 1 through 6 and includes activities and crafts with a STEAM focus (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math). Participants can join in at the library or watch the video online; this week’s theme is food science. If you want to attend in person, register in advance so there are enough supplies. Elementary Experiments takes place in the Winchell Room. To register, visit manchester.lib.nh.us or call 624-6550, ext. 7628.

No small parts!

• Shakespeare for Youth, a nonprofit homeschool theater group that rehearses in Nashua and Milford, has four performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Amato Center (56 Mount Vernon St., Milford), on Friday, April 26, and Saturday, April 27, at 2 and 7 p.m. on both days, according to their website. This is the group’s third year of performing Shakespeare’s works with a cast made up of kids approximately ages 6 to 18 from all over New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to a press release. Tickets online are $6 for individuals, $5 for seniors, and $25 for family tickets for parents and up to four kids. Call 399-9609 or visit bit.ly/sfytix.

Meet the wildlife

Animal rehabilitators at Discover Wild NH Day

By Zachary Lewis
zlewis@hippopress.com

The Millstone Wildlife Center in Windham provides an unparalleled service in the Granite State with its devotion to mammal rehabilitation. Executive Director and Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Frannie Greenberg and her husband, Michael, who holds a master’s degree in animal science, have dedicated their lives to creatures large and small. They will be at Discover Wild New Hampshire Day in Concord on Saturday, April 20, to educate the public on the hard work they do with the help of animal ambassadors.

Discover Wild New Hampshire Day is a day of educational exhibits and wildlife-related activities for kids and families, including archery, casting and more, hosted by New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Striped skunk. Courtesy of MWC.

“We operate from our home,” Greenberg said. “We are not funded by state or federal government. Everything we receive is from donations from kind individuals that either have brought us an animal or corporations who believe in our mission.” That mission is to rehabilitate as many critters as possible.

“We’re serving almost 1,400 animals a year,” Greenberg said. More and more of our space becomes animal space…. This is quiet time for us. At 42 animals, this is a piece of cake. In the summer we have up to 150 animals here. When some of those eat every two hours, we’re hopping.”

These animals range “from the tiniest little voles all the way up through coyotes,” she said. “We don’t do bear. We don’t do deer and moose. Beyond that, if we are available we take them. Sometimes we are full to the gills with raccoons and I have to find somebody else to take them. Things like a raccoon might be here for six months. They’re a tough one in that they eat a lot, they need to be dewormed, they need to be vaccinated, they need vet care. So there comes a point where we’re out of cage space for them…. We don’t do birds by choice. We don’t have the space.”

Adult red fox. Courtesy of MWC.

MWC has helped bobcats, bats, porcupines, coyotes, foxes and more. Different animals require different care.

“Things like little eastern cottontails stay with mom three weeks,” said Greenberg, “so we’re talking a month, maximum, if we get a newborn. It’s a whole lot easier to go through many, many, many rabbits in a year and … they take up less room, they take less resources, and last year we served 722 Eastern cottontail rabbits that came through our door, so many, many, many.”

Their rehabilitation efforts are not a guise for pest removal, Greenberg said. “I am not here just to take all the things you do not want. People call and say, ‘I have a woodchuck and it just ate all my lettuce.’ That’s not a service we provide.”

Growing up, Greenberg always cared for animals.

Virginia opossum. Courtesy of MWC.

“I was a little kid who brought home every animal from wherever,” she said. “From the schoolyard, from the backyard, from a field trip. If there was an animal I brought it home. Luckily I had parents who indulged this. I had a dad who would build a cage or help me figure out how to get it help…. My background is animal science education. I got licensed in 2015 and we’ve grown since then. The plan initially was to start small, have a few animals because I was still doing science education consulting.”

Greenberg is licensed by New Hampshire Fish and Game as a rehabilitator and their home is classified as a permitted facility by the USDA.

“We also raised three little human animals. When my daughters were out of the house, all at college or beyond, was when I said, ‘OK.’” Their full-time rehabilitation mission soon began. “It became apparent very quickly that there’s a huge need in this state, there still is, there are not enough people, understandably because you must give your home, you must give your money, you must give your time. It’s 365 days a year, there’s no vacation, no sick days. It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas … any day of the year, any time of the day….”

A large part of the work involves education.

“The more we educate people the more people realize we’re here … when they might have otherwise either tried to do it on their own, which is, one, illegal, two, dangerous for the animal…,” she said.

Discover Wild New Hampshiire will have a stage where MWC can do some show and tell with animals.

“We take animals that are registered. We are … licensed by the USDA to keep ambassadors, those animals that are deemed not to be releasable and that can educate the public. Right now we’re planning to bring — and I say we’re planning because with animals you just never know — we are planning to bring our Virginia opossum; she will be in the big area for our 1:30 general presentation,” Greenberg said. “When we bring her out we always try to teach by example and wear gloves so people see that you should always wear gloves, or if you don’t have gloves you use a barrier.”

That isn’t all. “We will also bring along a snake and a turtle,” Greenberg said. “If they’re nervous, we put them back; if they’re comfortable a snake can just sit on us.”

Discover Wild New Hampshire Day
When: Saturday, April 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Fish and Game Headquarters, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord
Admission: Free. Trained service dogs only.
More: wildlife.nh.gov

Millstone Wildlife Center
millstonewildlife.com
320-0941

Featured Photo: Woodchucks. Courtesy of MWC.

Scotland indoors

Enjoy pipe bands and much more

By Zachary Lewis
zlewis@hippopress.com

Scotland lies about 3,050 miles to the slight northeast of New Hampshire, as the crow flies if crows fly across the Atlantic. A shorter trip is to the 21st Annual New Hampshire Indoor Scottish Festival on Saturday, April 20, at Salem High School, where you will feel as if you had made that trans-Atlantic journey.

The New England Scottish Arts Centre, the organization behind the event, was founded in 1984 and this is their festival where they showcase the cultural history of Scotland. Traditional Scottish dance, pipe and drum music, and representatives from various clans will fill the area with the sights and sounds of the Scottish Highlands, minus the sheep and caber-tossing, for this massive competition.

Scottish Arts also holds classes year-round on Highland dance, piping and fiddle, and even hosts a kilt-making workshop in the winter months as well as other events and festivals.

“It’s the largest indoor contest in North America,” said Lezlie Webster, founder and director of Scottish Arts. Webster is the head piping instructor as well as a Highland dance instructor.

“A lot of people from all over New England, including New Jersey and Pennsylvania, are coming up, and New York. It’s a huge competition … 14 pipe bands from New York all the way through to Maine. Highland dancers, same thing,” Webster said. More than 100 soloists for piping and drumming are competing as well.

The festival starts with dance.

“The dancing is in the morning only and that’s … on the main stage in the big theater…,” Webster said. “Solo piping and drumming are down the hall, around the corner, and they are starting at 8 a.m. … because there are so many of them and they go through till about 1.”

“In the middle of that,” Webster said, “the pipe bands start arriving around 10, 10:30, and they go upstairs to classrooms and they start warming up there and in hallways, and every nook and cranny, so the building is alive by noon hour just with so much stuff going on … and it’s free. Very free.” Brave participants will even get a chance to try the Highland Fling themselves.

As the dancing dwindles, the music heads to the forefront. “The pipe band competitions will take over the stage [at] about 1:30 and they’ll go till 4. The end is a little recital by a couple of our piping judges that are world famous, some of the top in the world.” These include Bruce Gandy, Derek Midgley and Andrew Douglas.

Claire MacPherson, president and coordinator of clans and societies for Scottish Arts, who is originally from Grantown-on-Spey in the Highlands of Scotland, expands on the activities of the day and advises participants to “start with the clans because … everything in the games will make sense if you go to the clans and particularly if you are looking to trace your Scottish heritage, your clan might not be there, but these people are so incredibly knowledgeable, they’ve been doing it for decades.”

Food trucks will be outside as Celtic clothing, artwork, jewelry and face painting will be available on top of learning about Scottish heritage from the various clans, clan associations and societies.

One such society is the Scots’ Charitable Society — “they were formed in 1657 by former Scots prisoners of war,” MacPherson said. Those prisoners are highlighted in John D. Demos’ workshop called “The Seventeenth Century Scottish Prisoners of War in New Hampshire and Maine.” Demos, former archivist for Old Berwick Historical Society in Maine, will go over in precise historical detail their odyssey of capture in 1650 by Oliver Cromwell during the English civil war.

Demos said, “Cromwell and the English decided they were going to try to get rid of the rest and send them away where they couldn’t cause anymore trouble and they ended up packing off 150 to New England who came into Boston…. Many of those ended up at the Saugus Iron Works.”

These historical roots established a Scottish heritage in the Granite State. “I discovered my culture,” MacPherson said, “I think, from the descendants of Highlanders who are here in New England, and that’s really amazing, I think, personally. It’s very touching, it’s very humbling.”

Rain or shine, The Scottish Highlands will be alive in Salem on Saturday, April 20.

“The weather can do what it likes,” MacPherson said, “but people can be comfortable in a nice seat in this building that was purpose-built for the sound and just enjoy a big pipe band. It’s a really lovely treat.

21st Annual Indoor Scottish Festival
When: Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Salem High School (44 Geremonty Drive in Salem)
Admission: free
More: nhssa.org

Featured Photo: Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 24/04/11

Family fun for whenever

Boogie!

• Musical play group is held at the Arlington Street Community Center (36 Arlington St., Nashua) every Friday at 10 a.m., where you can make music with your little one, meet new friends and learn new songs. Attendance is free. Visit nashuacms.org or call 881-7030.

Bounce!

• Fun City Trampoline Park (533 Mast Road, Goffstown) has all the jumping your kids need, with a special toddler time on Fridays from noon to 3 p.m., in their 60,000-square-foot facility, according to their website. There is a 250-pound weight limit. Fun City also offers laser tag and bumper cars. For kids age 6 and under prices range from $14 to $20 for a 90- to 120-minute jump, and for those over the age of 6 prices range from $23 to $32 for a 90- to 120-minute jump. Jump socks are required for those over age 6 and are $3. Fun City Trampoline Park is open Monday through Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m., Friday from noon to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visit funcitytrampolinepark.com or call 606-8807.

Bend!

• Vibe Yoga & Aerial Moon (85 W. Pearl St., Nashua, 759-8432) will host a four-week family yoga series with Lauren Young on Saturdays, starting June 1, from 10:15 to 11 a.m. You’ll learn yoga poses, breathwork and mindfulness through books, songs and games together as a family, according to their website. The class will end with snuggly relaxation in this series that’s ideal for adults and children between the ages of 3 and 8 but younger and older siblings are welcome, according to the site. The cost is $80 for one adult plus one child and $20 for each additional person up to four people total. The class series is limited to six families. See vibeyoga603.com.

• Slightly older yogis can join Lauren Young for kids’ yoga for children between ages 5 to 12, according to the same website, right after family yoga on the same Saturdays, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. This is a drop-off program where kids will learn and practice yoga postures, breath work and mindfulness through games, songs and art; once your child is dropped off you can enjoy an hour at the coffee shops and stores in downtown Nashua. Registration is $80 per child. Visit vibeyoga603.com.

Boil and bake!

• The Culinary Playground (16 Manning St., Derry) is offering cooking classes for mini-chefs from 3 to 6 years old, with a Pasta Primavera course on Friday, April 19, and Sunday, April 21, at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to their website. These classes are designed for kids to work independently or with their caregiver close by if needed. They will prepare a recipe or two, usually with two servings, and read a book while it cooks, according to the website. Registration is $20 per child. Visit culinary-playground.com or mail cooking@culinary-playground.com or call 339-1664 for details or to register.

Be entertained

• The Lorax (PG), the 2021 animated movie based on the Dr. Seuss book and featuring the voices of Zac Efron, Danny DeVito, Taylor Swif tand Ed Helms, will screen Chunky’s in Manchester (707 Huse Road), Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Pelham (150 Bridge St.) on Friday, April 12, at 3:45 p.m. Reserve seats at chunkys.com.

Be artistic

• The Creative Studio at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) will celebrate Slow Art Day on Saturday, April 13, “ described as “a global event that aims to help more people discover the joy of looking at — and falling in love with — art,” according to a museum newsletter. The day will feature slow-looking activities and more, the newsletter said. As the second Saturday, this Saturday also features free admission to New Hampshire residents. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kiddie Pool 24/04/04

Family fun for whenever

See a show

• Southern NH Youth Ballet will perform “Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly” along with “The Princess & The Pea,” the Hans Christian Andersen classic, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St in Manchester) on Sunday, April 7, at 1 and 4 p.m., and guests can enjoy tea time with Fancy Nancy and her friends 45 minutes before each show, according to a press release. This performance is appropriate for children and young ballerinas of all ages and lasts approximately 90 minutes. Each special pre-performance Tea with Fancy Nancy is $20 per person, must be purchased separately, and is limited to only 50 guests, according to the release. Tickets range from $20 to $25. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 669-5588.

• Hear New Hampshire’s own Adam Sandler in his role as protective-dad Dracula in a screening of Hotel Transylvania (PG, 2012) on Sunday, April 7, at 3 p.m. at the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire in Bedford. The event is part of the New Hampshire Jewish Film Fest, which is slated to start Thursday, April 4, and is free. Register to attend at nhjewishfilmfestival.com/2024-films.

• The Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord) presents Pete the Cat in “Pete’s Big Hollywood Adventure” on Wednesday, April 10, at 10 a.m. as part of their education series, according to a press release. Pete the Cat and his buddy Callie get lost in the world of movies when they sneak into the Hollywood Studios with Ethel the Apatosaurus and Robo-Pete in this new musical adventure that features “Cavecat Pete,” “Pete the Cat and the Treasure Map”and“The Cool Cat Boogie,” according to the release. The show is 60 minutes long and recommended for children in pre-K or kindergarten. Doors open at 9 a.m. and tickets are $8. Visit www.ccanh.com.

Story time

• Meet Pete the Cat at the Books Alive! event at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) on Friday, April 5, at either 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. and Saturday, April 6, at either 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. On both days, play sessions are from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. (the Friday also features “First Friday” play time from 4:15 to 7 p.m.).Admission costs $12.50 for adults and kids over 12 months old, $10.50 for 65+

• Derry Public Library hosts a recurring story program for children ages 3 to 5 and their caregiver, for sharing books, songs, puppets and a preschool craft, according to the library’s website. The next one is Monday, April 8, from 10 to 10:45 a.m. A second session is held from 1 to 1:45 p.m. every Monday as well. Since space is limited, registration is required for each storytime, but only children need to be registered, not adults, and registration opens two weeks before each storytime. Visit derrypl.org or call 432-6140.

Totality!

• The big eclipse is finally here — Monday, April 8, with the highlights roughly between 2 p.m.-ish and 4 p.m.-ish. See our story on page 33 of the March 28 issue of the Hippo (find the e-edition at hippopress.com) for more on local happenings including the happenings at McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord (2 Institute Dr., 271-7827) which will have eclipse activities included with general admission from noon to 5 p.m., such as making a pinhole camera, eclipse puzzles and lunar phases wheels. In Manchester, SEE Science Center will host an eclipse viewing event at Arms Park from 2 to 4:30 p.m. with music from WZID and activities to explain eclipse science. Visit see-sciencecenter.org for eclipse simulation videos and more. Both location’s gift shops sell eclipse glasses (including, at SEE, Thursday, April 4, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Monday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when the center is closed for its annual fundraiser).

Horses and health

• The new Girls Rule program at UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center (153 Paige Hill Road in Goffstown) offers a unique opportunity to specifically address mental health and wellness for girls, according to a press release. This curriculum-based program helps girls learn self-advocacy, build confidence, feel empowered, learn how to establish and assert healthy boundaries, develop a body-positive image and make empowered choices, according to the press release. The release stated that this unmounted program happens in a fun, safe, supportive environment with horses and ponies and is designed for girls ages 11 to 14. The program runs from Monday, May 6, through Monday, June 17. Tuition is $200, and financial aid is available. Visit upreachtec.org or email allison@upreachtec.org or call 497-2343.

Kiddie Pool 24/03/28

Family fun for whenever

Egg hunt updates & more

• The Easter Bunny’s visit to the Aviation Museum by student-built airplane has been postponed to Saturday, March 30, at 9 a.m. due to inclement weather. Visit aviationmuseumofnh.org or call 669-4820.

• The Well Church’s annual free Easter egg hunt at Greeley Park in Nashua(near the bandstand, 100 Concord St.) will be Saturday, March 30, at 10 a.m. Visit thewellnh.org/egghunt or call 978-419-1756.

• The Salem Community Easter Egg Hunt hosted by Rockingham Christian Church at Hedgehog Pond in Salem will now take place on Saturday, March 30, from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. Visit rccsalem.com or call 894-5228.

• The Joppa Hill Educational Farm (174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford) now has two ticketed time slots for their Egg-citing Egg Hunt at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 30. Each ticket is $20. Visit theeducationalfarm.org.

• The Egg-Citing Egg Hunt continues at Charmingfare Farm in Candia (774 High St.) on Saturday, March 30, and Easter Sunday, March 31, with various times between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. See visitthefarm.com.

• Hudson’s Best Easter Egg Hunt is also Saturday, March 30, at Inner DragonMartial Arts (77 Derry Road in Hudson) with times at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon. See funnels.hudsonmartialart.com/egghunt-2024

• The Easter Bunny Party at Carriage Shack Farm in Londonderry (5 Dan Hill Road) is on Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $12.95 for ages 16 and over, $10.95 for ages 15 and under. See carriageshackfarmllc.org

Total eclipse, or a part

Every now and then it comes around

By Zachary Lewis

zlewis@hippopress.com

Unless you have been living on the far side of the moon, you are aware that a total solar eclipse on April 8 will be visible across a slice of the country from Texas to Maine including New Hampshire.

The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord is ready. Amanda Leith, an education coordinator at the Discovery Center, spoke about plans for the event.

“On the day of the eclipse we are going to be open from 12 to 5 p.m., prime time for eclipse viewing in the afternoon,” Leith said. “We’ll be doing some cyanotype sunprints, which is just light-reactive paper, UV-reactive paper using sunscreens … so people can make … designs and things like that and lay them out in the sun to see how those different SPFs protect the paper from the UV sensitivity.”

“We’re also making pinhole projectors,” Leith said. “We’re going to have some telescopes and other ways to view the solar eclipse on our lawn as well. We are waiting on a large-scale floor mat that shows the different layers of the sun and we have a floor puzzle of the moon … a 9-foot-wide puzzle so when you build the puzzle on top of the sun it will create what a solar eclipse would look like and you’ll see the corona around the outside with the Moon right in the middle, and an accessible version on the table as well for people that can’t get on the floor.”

The New Hampshire Astronomical Society will bring telescopes and help out with the festivities.

If the weather is less than favorable, the Discovery Center has a contingency plan. “All the activities will be the same, except for the sun prints — we need the sun for that, unfortunately,” Leith said. There will be “planetarium shows focused on the eclipse and ways that you can view it. It should still be a fun day regardless.”

The solar eclipse itself “will start at about 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon here in Concord,” Leith said. “That will be what we call first contact…. Then, the maximum for here in Concord will be about 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon. Fourth contact, or the end of the eclipse, will be at about 4:45 p.m. So it will be over the course of about 2 and a half hours and we’ll get to see varying levels of the moon covering the sun.”

The amount of eclipse you experience depends on where you are in the state.

“Everywhere in New Hampshire will at least experience 94 percent,” Leith said. There will be 96 percent totality at the Discovery Center. “It won’t go completely black. We’re not going to be able to see the stars in the middle of the day, unfortunately, but it should get darker as if we are heading into the evening hours.”

“North of Lancaster,” Leith said, “you are going to see totality. A total eclipse. No matter how you view an eclipse, whether it’s a partial solar eclipse or a total, they are all really special. This is the most coverage of the sun that we are going to get here in the state no matter where you are until 2079.”

What exactly is a solar eclipse? “A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun,” Leith said. “The physics and orbital mechanics of our solar system makes this a very unique event for us on Earth. But when it [the moon] is at its closest point to the Earth, that’s when it does cover the entire surface and we can see that total solar eclipse, so that’s why we are getting one in April.”

Kelly Thompson, a visitor experience coordinator at the Discovery Center, is watching solar eclipse glasses fly off the shelves. “We keep kind of continuously selling out,” Thompson said. “I should be shipping them out until March 31. I’ll stop orders at that point. Those can be purchased over the phone for $3.50 a pair.” Glasses not being shipped can be purchased at the Discovery Center for $2.50.

Do not look at the eclipse without the glasses! Their special film is crucial in keeping your eyes protected from the sun, Leith explained. “The lenses of our eyes are very similarly shaped to magnifying glasses. I am sure many people as kids took magnifying glasses outside and tried to light things on fire and burned ant hills … the same thing would happen to the back of your eyes. It would damage your eyes irreparably.” The glasses do have an expiration date of around three years. “If anybody has them from 2017, definitely throw them away.”

NASA will be closely monitoring the event, Leith noted, because “the sun’s energy impacts our atmosphere in really unique ways, so they are actually sending up weather balloons all across the country.” NASA’s Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project includes a balloon in Pittsburg, New Hampshire, that will be sent up by teams from Plymouth State University.

The University of New Hampshire’s Space Weather Underground (SWUG) will be “deploying magnetometers to understand our atmosphere as well during the eclipse,” Leith said. “There are quite a few things happening here in our state.”

The solar eclipse is “a fun opportunity to connect with people,” Thompson said. “Gosh, we hope the weather is going to be great.”

Eclipse viewing party
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
2 Institute Dr., Concord, 271-7827, starhop.com
Eclipse glasses: $3.50 a pair to have glasses shipped (until March 31), $2.50 a pair in the Science Store
Eclipse day: Monday, April 8, open noon to 5 p.m., general admission ranges from $10 to $13, free for members and ages 2 and younger; discounts on memberships available on eclipse day

A partial totality of eclipse events!

  • The New Hampshire Astronomical Society presents “What to Expect from a Solar Eclipse” on Wednesday, March 27, at 6:30 p.m. at Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, derrypl.org, 432-6140); register to attend at the library’s website. See nhastro.com.
  • Plymouth State University professor and planetarium director Dr. Brad Moser will present “Lunch and Learn” on Tuesday, April 2, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Puritan Backroom (245 Daniel Webster Highway in Manchester). Tickets cost $15 per person, and includes a lunch buffet and a pair of solar eclipse viewing glasses. Get tickets at plymouth-usnh.nbsstore.net/lunch-and-learn-eclipse.
  • The UNH Department of Physics and Astronomy welcomes the public to a free informal all-ages event, “The Science of Solar Eclipses,” on Wednesday, April 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the UNH Durham campus. See extension.unh.edu/eclipse for details and eclipse-related resources.
  • The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester) will host an eclipse viewing event at Arms Park in Manchester from 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, April 8, with music from WZID and activities to explain eclipse science. Eclipse simulation videos online as well. SEE’s gift shop has eclipse glasses for $2 per pair with extended gift shop hours on Wednesday, April 3, and Thursday, April 4, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Monday, April 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit see-sciencecenter.org.
  • Interested in heading north for the festivities? Check out visitnh.gov/solareclipse for viewing tips, event listings, and lodging information.

Finding the right mix of movies

How the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival picks its slate

By Zachary Lewis

zlewis@hippopress.com

As co-chairs of the New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival, Patricia Kalik and Ross Fishbein did a lot of movie-watching to put together this year’s event.

“We watched 60 movies this year to pick the 13 that we are showing during the festival,” Kalik said.

The 16th annual New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival begins Thursday, April 4, and runs through Sunday, April 14, with a bonus virtual week beginning that same Sunday, April 14, and ends Sunday, April 21.

Kalik has chaired 12 of the festival’s 16 years and makes sure to watch every minute of every film during this multi-month project.

“That’s a lot of hours of screen time, that’s for sure,” Kalik said. “And I have a rule: Once I start a movie I finish it … even If I don’t think it’s a great movie, because I know someone spent a lot of hours to create this piece of art…. I want to give everyone their fair share of time.”

The entire enterprise echoes that sentiment.

It’s “a labor of love and a community effort,” Fishbein said. He has been co-chair for the last four years. “Luckily, we have a lot of volunteers that are tremendously helpful in making sure that the event is put on and successful.”

Fishbein noted that selecting films “is a challenge.”

“We have about 20 people on the various screening committees. That’s about 20 different opinions that have to be juggled,” Fishbein said. “Our mission is to find a diverse selection of films. We try to make sure that we have comedies, we have dramas, we have English language films, we have foreign films that are subtitled, we have Israeli films, we have films about Jewish life generally. … It’s balancing that with the quality of the film and whether we think it would appeal to our audience.”

Once all the movies are watched, deliberation begins.

“At the end of the whole screening process we do have one final meeting where we vote,” Kalik said. “We take the votes on everything and we rank the films and we see if the top 12 have a balance, and if not we go down a level to get a balance. Because let’s say this year four of our top films were [about the] Holocaust. We choose not to show half of our shows being Holocaust-related.”

Kalik noted, “This year in particular we have [films from] a lot of different countries. We have a French film, one from Belgium, Hungary, several from Israel, a few U.S.A. films, but a nice smattering of films.”

In-person discussions and virtual screenings are part of the festival.

Call Me Dancer is a film about the journey of Manish Chauhan, a young street dancer from India who becomes a ballet dancer in New York. Chauhan will be attendance at the screening on Thursday, April 11, at 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres in Concord.

“His dance instructor was an Israeli dance instructor,” Kalik said. “They did spend some time in Israel. We’re really honored that he is going to be at our screening…. And then he is going to spend some time with the dance students at St. Paul’s Ballet Company. I think that’s exciting.”

There are even sometimes free concessions.

“In some of the venues we actually … give people popcorn as they enter the movie,” Kalik said, noting that the festival is “a way to bring the community together.”

“If it’s a controversial topic, [or] even if it’s not, after the film people mill around in the lobby of the theater and talk about the film, and it builds community. I think especially in today’s day and age that’s important,” Kalik said.

Fishbein was in agreement.

“It is one of those rare events that is truly community-focused,” Fishbein said. “It’s really a great way to be part of the Jewish community and be part of the larger New Hampshire community, without having a religious connotation to it.”

New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival

Thursday, April 4
5:15 p.m. opening night gala reception in the Spotlight Room at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester), $18
7 p.m. Remembering Gene Wilder at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester)

Sunday, April 7
3 p.m. Hotel Transylvania at PJ Library at the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire (273 S. River Road in Bedford), free
4 p.m. Children of Nobody at Southern New Hampshire University, Webster Hall, Mara Auditorium (2546 N. River Road in Hooksett)
6:30 p.m. The Boy at Southern New Hampshire University, Webster Hall, Mara Auditorium (2546 N. River Road in Hooksett), free

Tuesday, April 9
7 p.m. Bella! at Southern New Hampshire University, Webster Hall, Mara Auditorium ( 2546 N. River Road in Hooksett)
7 p.m. All About the Levkoviches at Peterborough Community Theatre (6 School St. in Peterborough)

Thursday, April 11
7 p.m. Call Me Dancer at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord)

Sunday, April 14
1 p.m. The Monkey House at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord)
3 p.m. Matchmaking at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord)
5:30 p.m. wrap party at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord)

Other film screenings in Hanover (Nugget Theaters) and Portsmouth (3S Art Space).

Virtual screenings

Thursday, April 4 – Sunday, April 21

These films will be available for 18 days except 999 (four days). Films are available for 48 hours once unlocked.

999: The Forgotten Girls of the Holocaust (only available April 11–April 14)
Home
Rabbi on the Block (virtual post-film live discussion Wednesday, April 10, at 7 p.m. with Rabbi Tamar Manasseh and director Brad Rothschild)
The Story of Annette Zelman

Virtual screenings bonus week Sunday, April 14 – Sunday, April 21
All About the Levkoviches, Bella!, Call Me Dancer, Children of Nobody, Matchmaking, The Boy, The Monkey House and The Way to Happiness

Tickets
$12 in-theater
$12 per virtual household
$18 opening night reception
Ticket packages range from $44 to $200

Advance purchase for all screenings is suggested. Purchase online at www.nhjewishfilmfestival.org, by phone at 627-7679, or at the Jewish Federation office, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional tickets for in-theater screenings may be available at the door prior to the show.

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