Category: Outdoors

Waltz of the balloons

See crafts take to the sky — and the river — at the Hot Air Balloon Rally

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Get ready for the 42nd Annual Hot Air Balloon Rally in Pittsfield, which will showcase 10 hot air balloons for the festivities from Friday, Aug. 2, all the way through Sunday, Aug. 4.

“The money that we raise through our vendors, donors, and buying things from the Rotary food tent and T-shirts, all that money goes back into the communities that we serve,” said Fallon Reed, President of the Suncook Valley Rotary Club and Chair of the Balloon Rally. These communities include Barnstead, Chichester and Pittsfield.

The shindig launches on Friday at 3 p.m. and there will be carnival rides and live music. Dusty Gray and The Bulkheads are two different bands slated to perform on Friday.

Hot air balloons will be launched.

“Certainly all of our launches are weather-dependent, so if the winds and everything cooperate we’ll have our first launch. The balloons will be on the field about 5:30. They do their pilots’ meetings to look at weather conditions and make a determination if they are able to launch,” Reed said.

Smaller and chiller balloons will be available through Mr. Joe and his Silly Solutions Balloon Entertainment. “The gentleman coming down to do that does these things down at Fenway so we’re excited to have him. He came a couple years ago.”

The night sky is the perfect backdrop for the hot air balloons.

“At dusk, we’ll have what we call our Night Glow and so that’s where the balloons inflate on the field and they change the … combination of oxygen to propane or however they make it work … the balloons essentially light up. They look like fireflies on the field. Big ol’ fireflies. It’s a great thing and they do a little show there.”

Saturday starts early with the Rotary Pancake and Egg Breakfast at 6 a.m. and a possible launch of hot air balloons, depending on the weather.

“We also have a free sunrise yoga that our local yoga business Powerful You Yoga puts on … so you can see the balloons and be a part of all that.”

A giant touch-a-truck event occurs later that Saturday morning involving the Home of the Brave RC Balloon, a smaller hot air balloon controlled by hand.

“This year, this is a new activity for us, but during touch-a-truck, if folks want to bring a teddy bear or a stuffie, we’re doing teddy bear tethering so they can put their stuffie in the basket and it can go up on a little tethered flight, maybe 30 or so feet in the air, so we’re excited to have that,” she said. Another fun kid event is the Brushes and Balloons paint event at the Rotary Tent.

That’s not all.

“We have our annual Craft Fair which is sponsored by the Pittsfield Historical Society. They are full of crafters and vendors to sell various things. That’s always a good time.”

Anything that Floats River Raft Regatta Race is another rally favorite.

“Folks can make their own raft or vessel out of anything they can find around their house, it just can’t be a regular boat or have an engine and then they race in the river to a certain point and then come back to the shore and the first three teams that win, win a cash prize and bragging rights for the next year.”

There are also helicopter rides and performances by the Granite State Disc Dogs as well as a hot air balloon pilot meet and greet.

“Folks will be able to meet them. They have trading cards they’ll be handing out so they can collect those, check out the baskets, meet the pilots … get an opportunity to ask them all kinds of questions about hot air balloons, which is great.”

Remember to bring your spare change to the Hot Air Balloon Rally.

“And my favorite thing for this year … we got a penny press machine with balloon images and we partnered with the library in town, the Josiah Carpenter Library. During the Balloon Rally the penny press machine will be at the field, but the other days of the year it will be at the library so folks can bring their quarters and a penny and pick your design and get some pressed pennies…. My daughter loves them so we’re very excited about that this year,” Reed said.

There is also the possibility of doing ‘tethering’ in the Re/Max balloon in the evening hours, where brave participants can experience the hot air balloon in action.

“They only go up a set amount…. I actually went up for the second time last weekend with my daughter, so it was her first time going up, she’s 8 and she loved it…. It’s an amazing experience. You truly feel like, ‘if I could float on a cloud, that’s how I would describe it.’”

If the ground is closer to comfort, there’s even the Victory Workers 4-H Cow Chip Bingo, which is exactly how it sounds.

“Folks can buy tickets with random numbers on it. We have a couple cows that come down onto a gridded area and where the cow drops their patty is whoever wins. There’s a $500 cash prize.”

Float on over to this spectacular event.

“Hot air balloons are not necessarily something you see every day…. It’s a great kind of low-key, fun fair. Hang out, lots of great things to do for kids and families, and spend time together. Everyone enjoys it.”

Hot Air Balloon Rally
Where: Drake Field in Pittsfield
When: Friday, Aug. 2, to Sunday, Aug. 4
Admission: free
More: nhballoonrally.org

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 24/07/25

Family fun for whenever

On stage

• The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp presents Newsies, Jr.on Friday, July 26, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 27, at 11 a.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). The student actors are in grades 2 through 12. Tickets start at $12.

• Catch Rock of Ages, Youth Edition on Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Set on L.A.’s famous Sunset Strip in 1987, Rock of Ages tells the story of Drew, a city boy from South Detroit, and Sherrie, a small-town girl, who have both traveled to L.A. to chase their dreams of making it big and falling in love. Tickets are $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

On screen

• Downtown Summer Series Movie Nights feature screenings in Manchester’s Veterans Park (723 Elm St.). Concessions are available for purchase.Monsters, Inc.(G, 2001) will be screened on Wednesday, July 31, at dusk.

• Movie Night Mondays On the Beach at Hampton Beach feature screenings at dusk on the large screen next to the playground, weather permitting (rain date is Tuesday). Admission is free. On Monday, July 29, the film to be screened is Mummies (PG, 2023)

Insects

• Head to Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) for Fireflies Light Up the Sky on Saturday, July 27, from 7 to 8 p.m. to learn about fireflies and see them in action. This is for ages 12 and older. The cost is $15 for nonmembers.

• The second annual Capital Area New Hampshire Butterfly Survey will take place on Saturday, July 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at NH Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord) to gather long-term butterfly data to understand the changing ranges of butterfly species over time and support statewide conservation efforts. Visit nhaudubon.org.

Cooking

• On Wednesday, July 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.) will host an event called “Culinary Explorers: No Cook Recipes In-Person,” for those in grades K-5, according to their website. Participants will use all five senses to create a culinary masterpiece while practicing kitchen safety, working on chef vocabulary and fine motor skills, and trying new foods. There will be two “no-cook” dishes created during this program, which is billed as “vegetarian and nut-free.” Visit nashualibrary.org

Frolic in the fields

• The 2024 Sunflower Festival at Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road, Lee, nhsunflower.com) takes place Saturday, July 27, through Sunday, Aug. 4, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (plus a special sunrise session on July 28). See the website for admission prices. Visit the blooming fields and then enjoy live music, an artisan craft fair, food and more.

Magic

• The Manchester Public Library on Thursday, July 25, from 6 to 7 p.m. will host magician BJ Hickman, who has been reviewed as “a master of the double-take and one who connects with wonderful audience rapport,” for their “Family Fare” program at the library, according to the website. Hickman is credited with being “the magician who keeps getting invited back,” and is a member of The International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) and went on to become an “Order of Merlin-Shield,” according to their website. His one-man magic show is suitable for audiences of all ages to enjoy, according to their website. In the event of rain the program will be held in the library auditorium. For more information contact Mary Gallant at 624-6550, ext. 7611, or visit manchester.lib.nh.us.

Meet the author

• Children’s author Celia Botto will visit Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester, bookerymht.com) on Saturday, July 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to talk about her upcoming book When Ayden Paints the Sky, illustrated by Samantha Lane Fiddy. All ages are welcome.

66 years of a classic town fair

Find food and family fun at the annual Canterbury Fair

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

The 66th Annual Canterbury Fair starts with the ringing of church bells at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 27, at the center of town in Canterbury.

From 9 to 11 a.m. The Woodchuck Classic 5K Road Race happens, part of the Capital Area Race (CARS), as well as the 2K Chipmunk Scramble Kids Race.

The center of town will be closed off to vehicular traffic for the fair, which is always held on the last Saturday in July. There will be shuttle buses to and from the festivities, with signs leading the way from the parking areas.

“We have a village green that’s covered with craftspeople and artisans who come from all over the place. I think there’s 40 vendors this year bringing their beautiful wares, pottery, jewelry… lovely things … things you can come Christmas shopping for or birthday shopping for or just please yourself for,” said Lisa Carlson, who chaired the event for 25 years before stepping down but recently returned to co-chair.

“We have an assortment of machinery, like old antique machinery that works,” Carlson said. “We have four different turners coming to the fair this year. They’ll be under tents carving bowls and spoons and just doing their wood crafting.” A blacksmith will be on site too.

The fair is a perfect place to take the kids, she said “We have a whole hillside of activities that go on all day long for toddlers and young children,” Carlson said. Mr. Aaron will be performing at 11 a.m. in front of the library. There will also be face painting for the little ones as well as reptiles and farm animals to see.

Plenty of food will be on site with fair fare such as the famous chicken barbecue, hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers and lemonade.

“The Ladies Benevolent Society still does their world famous bake sale where you can buy authentic Shaker hand pies if you get here early enough and they don’t sell out,” Carlson said. The Canterbury Ladies Benevolent Society started the tradition when they added a chicken barbecue to the “Canterbury Country Fair and Bazaar” they had been sponsoring for several years, according to a press release. “It was a fair fundraiser to maintain the uptake of our Parish Hall, which is a community building in Canterbury,” Carlson said.

The LBS was on to something special.

“That fair just took off as a very successful not only fundraiser but ‘gatherer’ of people in the community who wanted to get together and see each other and old friends came back to see old friends,” Carlson said.

At the Gazebo, Sue Ann Erb and her Suzuki Strings students will be performing. Carlson noted there’s music all day at the fair. At 1:30 p.m. the string band Lunch at the Dump will be performing.

Fairgoers can shop at the Whatnot Sale, which Carlson described as “like a gigundous yard sale, flea market … that’s held in Canterbury Elementary School cafeteria auditorium and it’s stuffed to the gills with all kinds of treasure.” There’s also a book sale in the town hall.

The Canterbury Historical Society will have an exhibit and there will be canoe polo at the Fire Pond.

The sense of community is the whole point of the festivities.

“It’s a big builder of making Canterbury the lovely place it is to live. People move here because they hear about how good the schools are but more about community spirit,” she said.

66th Annual Canterbury Fair
When: Saturday, July 27, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: free; $5 suggested parking fee donation
Cash is preferred due to limited internet access
More: canterburyfair.com
Race registration: runreg.com/canterbury-woodchuck-classic-5k

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

Ink show

More than 100 tattoo booths and other excitement at the Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

The 16th annual Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo begins on Friday, July 26, and goes until Sunday, July 28, at the DoubleTree Hilton in Downtown Manchester.

Mike Boisvert, General Manager of Tattoo Angus/Spider-Bite Body Piercing, acts as coordinator, stage manager and graphics lead of the Expo. “John, who’s the owner, he also owns Spider-Bite, he and I pretty much do 95 percent of everything, organizing, planning, and getting everything together, contacting the city and everything that we need to do,” Boisvert said.

This year’s logo was created by Steve Cummings, who owns a shop called Blood Oath Tattoo in Concord. “This year we’d like to hold the Expo in honor of all of our fallen friends,” Boisvert said. These include Lyle Tuttle, Bill Rhine, Dave Marden, Jeff Denoncour, and Michael “CHOPS” Gray.

This community event will showcase tattooers from all over. “We just upgraded to 134 booths in the Expo room this year and I’d say probably about 110 are tattoo booths and they’re usually two people, so you’re going to have like 250-plus tattoo artists there ready to tattoo you throughout the weekend.”

That’s not all. “We also have body piercers, we also have vendors … we have people that do taxidermy with bugs, clothing companies that come in.”

Appointments aren’t necessarily necessary. “Anybody can get tattooed as long as you come in and you have an idea and someone is free and you like their work, they’ll gladly tattoo you,” Boisvert said.

“We’re open 13 hours on Saturday so I mean that’s a good chunk of time that you can get tattooed if you can sit that long…. As long as you respect the artist and respect the craft and come in there knowing that they are busy but they’re going to take their time to, that’s what they’re there for, to tattoo everybody,” he said.

When the doors open on Friday at 5 p.m. the tattoo contest registration begins and pin-up pageant registration begins. Shortly after, at 7 p.m., attendees will be treated to No Gimmicks Needed Suspension. “They swing from a steel truss that they have. They do it to music and it’s like an art performance and they do one show a day,” Boisvert said.

Then at 8 p.m., the Monsters of Schlock perform. “They’re from Toronto and they hold like 26 Guinness book world records for pulling a car with hooks in his back. The other guy has the record for most mouse traps snapped on his tongue or his face … We always try to keep it pretty cool. ”

Then at 9 p.m. the wondrous Sally Sapphire Aerialist will dazzle attendees. “She’s also a local tattooer. She’s an aerialist so she’s bringing a lollipop stand and will be doing two performances.” Those three performers will also perform Saturday.

The rest of the evening will be devoted to the tattoo contests.

When the doors open on Saturday at 11 a.m. the tattoo contest registration and pin-up pageant registration begin. The day will also feature a raffle (to benefit Manchester Animal Shelter). On Sunday, there will be another tattoo contest as well as performances by the Monsters of Schlock and No Gimmicks Needed Suspension.

So why tattoo at all? “Some people like the pain, it’s therapeutic…. Some people just really respect the craft and the art and like to express themselves with imagery that caters to their personality,” Boisvert said.

Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo
Where: DoubleTree by Hilton, 700 Elm St., Manchester
When: Friday, July 26, 5 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, July 27, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, July 28, noon to 8 p.m.
Admission: one-day pass $15 ($20 at the door); two-day pass $25 ($30 at the door); three-day pass $35 ($40 at the door)
More: livefreeordietattoo.com, 625-1000

Featured image: Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 24/07/18

Family fun for whenever

Stories and stage

• There will be a Fairytale Festival in Greeley Park (100 Concord St., Nashua) Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with stage acts, community vendors, caricaturists, games, books and more. There will be local stage acts, a performance featuring favorite fairy tale characters, and a character meet and greet. Visit nashua.gov.

• Join Ariel, a young mermaid princess, as she struggles to learn whether her heart belongs on land or under the sea in The Little Mermaid Jr., Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20, at 7 p.m. at the Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). Tickets are $18.75 for adults, $15.75 for students and seniors.

• Camp Encore! will stage a performance of Mary Poppins Jr. Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21, at 11 a.m. at the Wilcox Main Stage in Prescott Park (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). Tickets start at $5 and reservations can be made at portsmouthnhtickets.com

• An amateur brother-and-sister team of explorers have come across a lot of unusual things in their young lives, but nothing compares to a house made entirely out of candy, in The Impact Touring Children’s Theatre’s performance of Hansel and Gretelon Tuesday, July 23, at 10 a.m. at the BNH Stage (16 S Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). This is a free performance. Seating for this show is mostly on the open floor. Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets to sit on.

Music and movies

• In collaboration with Leach Library, the Londonderry Arts Council Concerts on the Common series (Londonderry Town Common, 265 Mammoth Road, Londonderry) presents The Mr. Aaron Band in a concert for kids on Saturday, July 20, at 1:30 p.m. Visitmraaronmusic.com. In the event of bad weather the event will take place in the Londonderry High School cafeteria (295 Mammoth Road).

• The Park Theatre in Jaffrey will hold its Kids Summer Movie-Rama with showings of six different movies throughout the summer on Tuesdays and Saturdays; all of the films are rated PG, according to their website. Tickets are $7. On Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m. there will be a showing of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and on Tuesday, July 23, at 1:30 p.m. it’s The Smurfs (2011), according to the website. Visit theparktheatre.org/kids or call 532-8888.

Plants and animals

• The Seacoast Chapter of NH Audubon hosts Birds & Butterflies of Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge on Saturday, July 20, at 8 a.m. Join Steve Mirick and explore the birds and butterflies of the refuge and adjacent areas, weather permitting, during a long but level walk. Participants will meet at the trailhead for the Cherry Pond Trail at 289 Airport Road in Whitefield. Registration is limited to 20 participants, according to the website. Visit seacoastchapter.org.

• Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (928 White Oaks Road, Laconia, prescottfarm.org) will hold Summer Polliwog programs for pre-K kids with an adult on different Wednesdays in July at 10 a.m. On July 24 the program is Water Up! Water Down! Water all Around!, where participants will learn about the water cycle, and on July 31 the program is Acorn Was a Little Wild, where a puppet named Stasher helps hunt for deciduous trees. Each program costs $15 for an adult and child pair; register online.

• The Stratham 4-H Summerfest returns for a third year on Saturday, July 20, at the Stratham Hill Park Fairgrounds (270 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham). The work of 4-H volunteers and members will be on display in the 4-H building, show rings and livestock barns from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibits include shows and displays on gardening, cooking, environmental stewardship, hiking and much more. Visit extension.unh.edu/event/2024/07/2024-stratham-4-hsummerfest.

Think of your lawn as an area rug

Creating a better environment for us and our animal friends

There is much gloom and doom spread in the news and on social media. Many people believe that our ecosystem is irreparable — climate change is bringing death and destruction to many of the animals that we share the Earth with. But some gardeners believe that although the climate is changing, they can still plant many species of plants that will sustain our birds, butterflies, bees, moths and all the little animals that we share our space with. I am one of those optimistic ones.

If you want to help save our ecosystem, here are some suggestions:

Start by reducing the size of your lawn. Yes, keep space for badminton and a grill, if you like. But think of the lawn as an area rug, not wall-to-wall carpeting. Most Americans inherited a large lawn when they bought their house. I’ve read that American lawns cover an area as large as New England. We can all do with less. Perhaps you can develop a five-year plan to reduce the lawn and add trees, shrubs and perennials.

This is not a quick fix, nor an inexpensive one. But you need not plant large trees. In fact, small trees are less shocked at transplant time, and take off and grow like crazy while bigger trees often stall and sulk.

Choose your trees wisely: Plant trees and shrubs that are native to New England, not Japan or China. Why? Native trees co-evolved with our pollinators. Bees, butterflies and moths look for plants that they instinctively recognize. Plants that will benefit them. We all know that monarchs rely on milkweed, but most pollinators have similar habits — they eat what their ancestors ate.

According to Ph.D. entomologist Doug Tallamy, author of Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, oaks are the best trees to plant to support pollinators and birds. They are followed by other keystone trees: willows, birches, poplar and elm. Most maples, ash and beech are good, too.

You may wonder why native trees are so important. Dr. Tallamy explains in his book that all baby birds are fed caterpillars — even young hummingbirds. Using a game camera, he determined that a nest of chickadees needs between 6,000 and 9,000 caterpillars between hatching and fledging. Amazing! We don’t often see those caterpillars or the feeding they do on our trees, but they are there if we have native plants.

Birds need food, water, safe places for nesting and places to stay out of the wind in winter. A well thought-out garden can address all those needs. Yes, it is nice to offer seeds in feeders in winter, but birds need insects or seeds to eat all year. Native trees and shrubs can help significantly, particularly if all your neighbors plant well, too.

Plant trees in clumps — three, five or seven in a small grove. This way their roots will mingle, and if a storm with ferocious rain and high winds comes along they will be much less likely to get blown over.

Instead of surrounding your new trees with lawn, think about planting native perennials, wildflowers or ground covers under them. When a caterpillar is ready to pupate and transform itself into a moth or butterfly, it will drop off the tree it has been feeding on. On a lawn compacted by heavy riding mowers, it will probably not survive. They need leaves to hide under, or soft earth they can burrow into. Autumn leaves make a great mulch, either chopped or whole.

As part of your planting efforts, remove all invasives. All New England states have laws naming the invasives to that state. These include, but are not limited to, burning bush, barberry, Norway maple, oriental bittersweet, autumn olive, buckthorn, privet, honeysuckle and multiflora rose. Go online and educate yourself as to what these plants look like. Some can be dug out, but older specimens can be difficult to remove.

Apparently 82 percent of Americans live in cities or large towns. But city dwellers can make a difference, too. In Tallamy’s book he writes about a woman in Chicago with just a tenth of an acre of yard — right next to O’Hare airport. Over time she planted 60 species of native plants in her yard — and over time she identified 103 species of birds that visited her yard. Having water available, especially if it bubbles, is good. It also attracts migrating birds. Native plants provide food for migrating birds, too — insects and seeds that they need for their long flight.

Instead of just lawn, build rooms using native trees and shrubs where you and your family can relax — and observe nature. No, you will not see cougars in your garden, but seeing monarchs and bluebirds can give great joy. Build natural areas using 90 percent natives and start learning the names of the creatures that come.

Teach your grandchildren to watch nature with you, start them young to love the outdoors — and gardening. My grandfather started me gardening when I was just a little tyke, and now, some 75 years later, I get great joy from my garden every day of the year.

Henry lives and gardens in Cornish, N.H. Send questions to him at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746 or by e-mail at [email protected].

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