Category: Outdoors

20 years of fandoms

Granite State Comic Con celebrates comic books, sci-fi, games and more

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

What started as a small gathering of friends and fans of comics in Manchester snowballed into a three-day event that celebrates comics, sci-fi, fantasy, cartoons, gaming, wrestling and more. Now, 20 years after it began, Granite State Comicon grabs attention from people around the world.

“The craziest thing is hearing people say, ‘We are traveling from California,’ but now people are coming internationally,” said Chris Proulx, the director of the con.

This is the 20-year anniversary of Granite State Comicon. Proulx is also one of the owners of Double Midnight Comics, the shop that hosts the convention. The con’s first year, Proulx said, it was just a group of people who loved comic books and tabletop games like Magic the Gathering.

Two decades later, the con has meet-and-greets with stars like actor Julian Glover (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Star Wars: Episode V, The Empire Strikes Back), WWE wrestling hall of famer Mick Foley, and co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Kevin Eastman.

Man, woman, and two girls posing together in cosplay costumes at event
Families that cosplay together stay together. Courtesy photo.

“I never dreamed it would be this big event,” Proulx said. “We’re using every conceivable space and we still had a waiting list for people wanting to set up booths in artist alley.”

This year, the con is bigger than it’s ever been. Proulx said the convention was struggling to find space to accommodate everyone who wanted to be a part of the con. This year, the artist alley alone has over 100 artists, the vast majority of whom come from New England.

The mutant turtles are very near and dear to New Hampshire, said Proulx, since they were created right in Dover.

Eastman agreed to pose with fans for photographs on a set built to mimic the sewer lair the teenage superheroes hang out in. Proulx said this would be the second year Eastman has come to the con.

“Turtle fans travel from all over the country to come to the home of the turtles,” Proulx said. “Whenever [Eastman] is in town, we always make a big deal of them.”

The different guests doing meet-and-greets will be on panels talking about a variety of topics. Voice actors will talk about how they got into their industry, and professional cosplayers will talk about how to start building cosplay costumes.

Proulx said it was super important to him to have events that kids might be more excited about. So when Emily Drouin, one of the creators of Kids Con New England, reached out to Proulx in 2014 about setting up a booth at the Granite Con, he was thrilled.

This year Drouin is offering activities that range from learning to draw Pokemon and Nintendo characters to meet-and-greets with princesses and superheroes. This is in addition to the kids’ costume contest put on every year by Granite Con.

Drouin’s advice for parents who are unfamiliar with comicons is to just take some time and take it all in.

“There’s something for everyone,” Drouin said. “Don’t be intimidated or shy that you’re not too familiar. This is a great way to meet creators firsthand and you’ll be surprised at all the neat things you find.”

Drouin will be in the expo center’s concourse area, and this year she’ll be dressed up as Merida from the Disney Pixar movie Brave.

Proulx said that the Granite Con has been designed to be a place where families can go for a day of nerdy fun. He said that there is no judgment on the type of content people like. Everyone from anime lovers to Trekkies is welcome.

“It’s a celebration of all things fun and geekty,” Proulx said. “Whether it’s the [Marvel Cinematic Universe], Star Wars or The Walking Dead, there’ll be stuff to see.”

Featured photo: Granite State Comicon Costume Contest 2021 Winners. Photo by David Lockhart.

Arts in the city

A street fair caps the weeklong Manchester Citywide Arts Festival

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

For one week, Manchester will be an explosion of all types of artistic expression, thanks to the brand-new citywide arts festival.

The Palace Theatre has organized a week-long list of events, finishing off with a two-day Street Fair on Saturday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Street Fair, billed as a family-friendly event, will feature an arts market highlighting dozens of local artists, artisans and crafters, interactive arts installations and live performances by musicians and dancers as well as food trucks.

“It really is … in my wheelhouse of things that I’m passionate about,” said Laura Zorawowicz, the director of the festival, about the weeklong event. “Connecting artists with each other and with the community is just super exciting.”

Zorawowicz, who has a background in art education and community arts, said that this is her first time planning an event of this size. She had only been working at the Palace as a bartender when Palace president Peter Ramsey started talking about an arts festival.

Almost immediately Zorawowicz volunteered to be part of the planning. She said she felt lucky that Ramsey had taken a chance with her.

Because it was important to include all forms of art in the festival, Zorawowicz found community institutions that focused on the arts to partner with The Palace. Bookery, Currier Museum of Art, Dimensions in Dance, Manchester Community Music School, and Studio 550 are all hosting events in conjunction with the theater. There will be all types of dance classes at Dimensions in Dance, an open house at the Community Music School, and artist speaker series at Bookery. The Currier will have special exhibits and The Palace Theatre’s production of The Little Mermaid will open that week.

Studio 550 will have creators building monsters out of clay and an interactive art project that anyone can participate in (but it will live in the studio), said Monica Leap, 550’s founder.

Leap said she was thrilled to see the arts community come together.

“Manchester has a lot of potential with the arts, but it’s not concerted or together, so it’s exciting to see something this big,” Leap said about the festival. “I hope people participate and experience something new.”

Several of Leap’s intermediate potters and former students (known as members) will be taking on the new challenge of selling items during the Street Fair. She said everyone seems excited to participate at the vendors’ booths and everyone is busy sculpting away.

“These people are making some really fantastic things,” Leap said. “You can tell there’s skill. … It’s exciting to see what they’re capable of.”

While many of the artists at the festival will be vendors selling their works, Karen Jerzyk is excited to have the human interaction back in her artwork.

Jerzyk is a photographer but, in her own words, “the photography is almost the documenting of what I do [to set up].”

All of Jerzyk’s sets are designed and built by her. She said she is mostly inspired by post-apocalyptic themes but also loves the aesthetic of the 1960s. Her sets are designed to be interactive, something she is bringing to a studio space provided by Palace Theatre. This set will look like an old-fashioned living room, including an old couch, a vintage television set, and more interesting items and details to explore, including a few sculpted “creatures” to add a sci-fi flair to the mid-20th-century set. People will be able to walk through the set and take selfies.

While it’s only the first year, Jerzyk said she is thrilled to be traveling down the road from her studio to exhibit at an arts fair, as opposed to traveling farther to New York City or Los Angeles. She hopes this will be the first of many arts festivals the city offers over the years.

“There’s a lot of art and culture in Manchester but … it feels like the general public doesn’t realize the talent in the area,” Jerzyk said. “This will bridge that gap and showcase all the talent in this city.”

Manchester Citywide Arts Festival Street Fair
Street Fair
Where: Opera Block of Hanover Street (between Elm and Chestnut streets)
When: Saturday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 18, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Price: free
Visit: palacetheatre.com

Musical performances
The River Stage at the Manchester Citywide Arts Festival Presents Intersection of Hanover Street and Londonderry Lane

Saturday, Sept. 17
10 a.m.: Children’s music concert with Miss Julieann presented by Manchester Community Music School
11 a.m.: Dimensions in Dance performance and interactive workshop
noon: Brother Seamus
1 p.m.: Paul Nelson
2 p.m.: Palace Youth Theatre performance
3 p.m.: Interactive drumming circle with NH Artist Laureate Theo Martey
4 p.m.: Drag performance by House of Marvel Entertainment

Sunday, Sept. 18
10 a.m.: Palace Youth Theatre performance
11 a.m.: Justin Cohn
noon: Southern NH Dance Theater – Nutcracker demonstration
1 p.m.: Queen City Improv
2 p.m.: Songwriter showcase with Liam Spain
3 p.m.: Manchester Community Music School student performers (location: Spotlight Room)
2 to 4 p.m.: Go Ninja Circus Arts aerial performers (location: intersection of Hanover Street and Nutfield Lane)

Manchester Makes — Community Art Area
Spotlight Room, 96 Hanover St., all day both days
• Live painting demo with local artist Michelle Peterson
• Interactive community mural with muralist Jyl Dittbenner
• Drop-in visits by Eddy the Comfort Pony of the MPD.
• Interactive Sci-Fi photo set with Karen Jerzyk

Featured photo: Brother Seamus. Courtesy photo.

Manchester Citywide Arts Festival

The Queen City celebrates art, dance, theater, music and more with a week of events

Calendar of Events

Event descriptions are according to the organizers. See manchesterartsfestival.com for the latest festival updates and to register for events.

Monday, Sept. 12

• Family Clay Monster Sculpting
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St.)
Make your own monster out of clay. Studio 550 will have pre-made “monster bodies” for you to embellish with your own horns, teeth, eyeballs and texture. Projects can be sculptures or can be modified to be a jar. Preregistration is required.

• Meet & Greet Artists @ Cat Alley
5 to 7 p.m.
Bookery (844 Elm St.)
Learn about the origins of Cat Alley and talk to emerging artists to professional muralists who were part of this project. Registration is recommended.

• Artist Talk with Ryan ORourke, Rich Pellegrino and Emily Dumas
6 to 7 p.m.
Bookery (844 Elm St.)
Ryan ORourke, Rich Pellegrino and Emily Dumas will be chatting about how they’ve gone from emerging artists to published illustrators. David Hady will be moderating. Registration is recommended.

Tuesday, Sept. 13

• Free dance class and story time for ages 2 to 5
10 to 10:45 a.m.
Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St.) Register via Art Fest website.

• Jewelry workshop
3 to 5 p.m.
Institute of Art & Design at New England College (148 Concord St.)
Free. Learn how to make wire rings using basic jewelry tools and copper and brass wire. Registration required.

• Manchester Community Music School open house
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St.)
Come visit the Manchester Community Music School. Take a tour, listen to ensembles rehearsing, try out some instruments, meet the faculty, and learn more about individual and group lessons. Registration is recommended.

Wednesday, Sept. 14

• Free ballet class for adults
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St.)
Register in advance. No experience needed.

• Excerpts & Investigation: A NH Dance Collaborative Performance
5:30 to 7 p.m.
The Factory on Willow (252 Willow St.)
Free event (registration is recommended). Watch three short segments of an evening-length dance called The Shire performed by Nsquared Dance. A post-performance discussion will feature the choreographer and the dancers.

• Pumpkin topiary workshop
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
The AR Workshop (875 Elm St.)
Register in advance.

Thursday, Sept. 15

• Jewelry workshop
3 to 5 p.m.
Institute of Art & Design at New England College (148 Concord St.)
Free. Learn how to make wire rings using basic jewelry tools and copper and brass wire. Registration required.

• Printmaking workshop
3 to 5 p.m.
Institute of Art & Design at New England College (148 Concord St.)
Free. This workshop introduces the creative process of Intaglio printmaking. Spend an afternoon working with dry point on copper plates. Registration required.

• Free trial class of our Tap/Jazz combo class for kids in grades 3 to 5.
4 to 5 p.m.
Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St.)
Tap shoes not required.

• Art After Work
5 to 8 pm
Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St.)
Free exhibition tours and gallery admission to the museum, live music in the Winter Garden (tonight’s scheduled performers are Hickory Horned Devils), happy hour drink specials and a full menu available for purchase every Thursday night. See currier.org.

Friday, Sept. 16

• Glass demonstration
3 to 7 p.m.
Studioverne, Fine Art Fused Glass (412 Chestnut St.)
Stop in to meet the artist and see a demonstration. This painterly process of using only glass powders is just one technique to form fused glass art. It’s free to try for yourself. Fall leaves will be available. Browse the gallery and shop new collections early. See studioverne.com.

• Family pottery workshop
4:30 to 5:45 p.m.
Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St.)
Families can get a crash course on the pottery wheel. Kids must be 9+. One finished piece of pottery is included per participant. Pre-registration is required.

• Free jazz class for ages 6 to 10
5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Dimensions in Dance (84 Myrtle St.)
Register via Arts Fest webpage. No experience needed.

• The Little Mermaid, opening night
7:30 p.m.
The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St.)
Get your ticket to Disney’s The Little Mermaid at palacetheatre.org.

• Friday Night Comedy at the Rex 7:30 p.m.
Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St.)
Featuring Dan Crohn and Emily Ruskowski. Tickets at palacetheatre.org

Saturday, Sept. 17

• Street fair
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Opera Block of Hanover Street.
The Arts Festival will culminate in a free family-friendly street fair in the Opera Block (Hanover Street between Elm and Chestnut streets) featuring an arts market, interactive art installations, live performances, food trucks and more. See the following page for more.

• Glass demonstration
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Studioverne, Fine Art Fused Glass (412 Chestnut St.)
Stop in to meet the artist and see a demonstration. This painterly process of using only glass powders is just one technique to form fused glass art. It’s free to try for yourself. Fall leaves will be available. Browse the gallery and shop new collections early. See studioverne.com.

• Printmaking wood blocks with Steamroller
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Institute of Art & Design at New England College (77 Amherst St.)
Watch students create large scale prints with a steamroller.

• Storytime with illustrator Ryan ORourke
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Bookery (844 Elm St.)
Illustrator Ryan O’Rourke will read and talk about his job creating art for books.

• Witch Crafting Series with Shadow & Soul Emporium
11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (30-minute classes on the half-hour)
At the Soul Emporium tent at the Street Fair
Create magical crafts with Shadow and Soul Emporium. Registration required.

• Painting demo with artist Diane Crespo
noon to 2 p.m.
The Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St.)
See dianecrespofineart.com.

• The Little Mermaid
2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St.)
Tickets for Disney’s The Little Mermaid are available at palacetheatre.org.

• Show opening of “Full Circle” at Mosaic Art Collective
5 to 8 p.m.
66 Hanover St., Suite 201
Mosaic Art Collective is hosting a grand opening and their first show, a group show of southern New Hampsire artists called “Full Circle.” An internal gallery opening for the show “The Locals” will be presented by See/Saw Art. See mosaicartcollective.com.

• Chunky Herringbone Knit Blanket Workshop
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
AR Workshop (875 Elm St.)
The workshop will guide you step by step through the hand knitting process to create a cozy one-of-a-kind blanket with herringbone details. Register via Arts Fest webpage.

Sunday, Sept. 18

• Street fair
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Opera Block of Hanover Street.
The Arts Festival will culminate in a free family-friendly street fair in the Opera Block (Hanover Street between Elm and Chestnut streets) featuring an arts market, interactive art installations, live performances, food trucks and more. See the following page for more.

• Free trial classes for adult tap program
Beginner: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Intermediate: 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St.)

• Free trial classes of teen Hip Hop and Contemporary program (grades 4 to 12)
Level 1 Contemporary: noon to 1 p.m.
Level 2 Hip-hop: noon to 1 p.m.
Level 1 Hip-hop: 1 to 2 p.m.
Level 2 Contemporary: 1 to 2 p.m.
Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St.)

• The Little Mermaid
2 p.m.
The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St.)
Tickets for Disney’s The Little Mermaid are available at palacetheatre.org.

Throughout the week

• Mini-Mural Monster Hunt
Aug. 29 through Sept 16
During any business hours (specific locations will vary)
Find all the mini-mural monsters for a chance to win a gift card to a participating downtown business. For an official monster mural checklist, visit a participating business. For an updated list of businesses go to 550arts.com or email [email protected].

• Community Threads
Sept. 15, Sept. 17 and Sept. 18
Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St.)
The Currier invites community members to contribute to an ongoing large-scale weaving project that represents individuals and communities.

Featured photo: Dimensions in Dance. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 22/09/08

Family fun for the weekend

Free Saturday

• Take a free trip to the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) this Saturday, Sept. 10, when, as with the second Saturday of every month, New Hampshire residents get free admission to the museum. (Normally, admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17; children 12 and under get in for free.)

• Enjoy a free movie under the stars in Concord. The movie Encanto (PG, 2021), the Disney animated musical famous for not wanting to talk about Bruno (no no no), will screen Saturday, Sept. 10, at Keach Park, 20 Canterbury Road in Concord, as part of a joint effort between Red River Theatres and the Concord Multicultural Festival. The screening starts at sunset (about 7 p.m.); bring a blanket and some snacks.

• Benson Park Family Fun Day, which will be held at the Benson Park Ampitheatre (Benson Park is on Kimball Hill Road in Hudson), will run Saturday, Sept. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free community event will feature games, a raffle, a coloring booth and performances such as a concert from “Let’s Play Music” (featuring local youth talent) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; a Wildlife Encounters live animal education program from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and magic with Jim Leach from 2:45 to 3:15 p.m. See friendsofbensonpark.org for more about the event (the website recommends bringing a picnic and lawn chairs) and about the park, where the Friends of Benson Park are currently operating the seasonal store Friday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

Rockin’ kids

• The student performers of the Palace Youth Theatre will present Rock of Ages: Youth Editionat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for children and are available for purchase online.

Time with nature

• Kids can learn more about the butterflies on the move at “Buds & Blooms: The Magic of Monarch Migration” on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way in Auburn; nhaudubon.org, 668-2045). The session, which requires parental supervision and is suited for children ages 4 to 12, will explain the monarch butterfly’s journey south from New Hampshire to northern Mexico, according to the website. The event is free but pre-registration is required to reserve a spot.

Saving the harvest

Is that a squash under the bed?

Now is the time when gardeners often have too much fresh produce. People joke about locking their cars to keep neighbors from placing unneeded zucchinis in them. Our mothers and grandmothers labored over hot stoves on hot days to put up tomatoes in jars for winter, or to make jam. Now there are better, easier ways to preserve the harvest. Let’s have a look.

I keep tomato products for later use in a number of ways. First and easiest, I freeze tomatoes whole. I put clean tomatoes in zipper bags and freeze them whole. Later, when I want tomatoes for a soup or stew, I just run hot water from the tap into a big bowl and drop in a few tomatoes. That softens them up so I can easily chop them, but it also loosens the skins. I just rub the skins with my fingers, and the skin comes off. A few minutes later I chop them and they are just like canned tomatoes.

Want tomatoes for winter sandwiches? Cut them in thick slices and roast them on a sheet pan at 350 degrees until most of the moisture has gone. Then cool and place in zipper bags for storage in the freezer. When you need a tasty tomato in your sandwich, take a few slices out, and cook slightly in a toaster oven to thaw it.

I grow many hundreds of cherry tomatoes each summer. I plant a dozen or more ‘Sun Gold’ cherry tomato plants each year, and each produces a bounty of rich, golden nuggets of flavor. What do I do with all those? I cut them in half and dry them in a food dehydrator, cut side up. When dry they will keep well in the pantry (or the freezer) in a wide-mouth quart jar. I toss a handful into every soup or stew I make.

Of course you can slice and dehydrate any kind of tomato. I have a friend who slices tomatoes, dries them until they are very crisp, and then grinds them in a food processor to make dried tomato flakes. She sprinkles the flakes into or on to a wide range of dishes. And she usually gives me a pint of them each year, which I treasure — I use it to add that mystical “umami” flavor to a dish.

A few words about food dehydrators. I have lots of experience with two good ones: NESCO American Harvest is a round dehydrator that will allow you to add many extra trays (up to 30, but with much increased drying time). NESCO dehydrators come with either top or bottom heat, so drying time is a bit uneven. The other is Excalibur, a square one with nine trays. These blow air across the trays, and everything gets dry at once. They both have thermostats and timers that will turn them off when desired.

I use my dehydrators for drying apples and pears that are great for snacking. I cut slices about 3/8 inch thick and bag them up for snacking while they are still chewy. It looks like I will have a great grape harvest this year, and I may try making raisins. Set temperature at 125 to 135 degrees so you don’t break down vitamins.

I also use a dehydrator for drying hot peppers until they are brittle, then I grind them up in my coffee grinder to make hot pepper powder. That way I can sprinkle a little or a lot into a recipe, depending on who will be sharing dinner with me — I like food spicy.

I make tomato paste each summer, but that is more like the hard work my grandmother did. I core the tomatoes and squeeze out excess juice and seeds, then cut them in half and drop into the Cuisinart. I run it until the tomatoes are a slurry. Then I pour the slurry into a heavy enameled cook pot. I heat it slowly, allowing the mixture to just slowly simmer (to avoid burning it).

It takes a couple of hours to fill the big kettle, and all evening for it to boil off the excess liquid. When I can literally stand up a soup spoon in the mix, I know it is thick enough. I leave the pot on the counter all night to let it cool and evaporate some more, and then in the morning I spoon the paste into ice cube trays and freeze. I put the cubes in bags or jars. It is nice to never need to remember to buy tomato paste — and to have a good use for damaged tomatoes that might otherwise end up in the compost. I cut out the bad spots, and use every one.

I have never gotten excited about making jams or jellies. But if you have a dedicated freezer for storage, you can cook your raspberries or blueberries with sugar and spices, then freeze them. The canning process is lengthy and messy, so I generally avoid it. If you just want a little jam, make three or four jars and store in the fridge. It will be as tasty and it gives you an excuse to spread some on ice cream, using it up before it gets moldy.

Of course, storing food is the easiest, cheapest way to eat the harvest long after it. Winter squashes like butternut and blue Hubbard store for months in a cool, dry location. They store well for months under the bed in a guest bedroom with the radiators turned off.

When digging potatoes or pulling onions, try to do it in a dry time (not hard this summer). Lower moisture levels are better for storage. Cure them for a few days in a breezy place out of the sun. Store potatoes, carrots, celeriac and rutabagas in a place between 35 and 50 degrees with high humidity. Garlic and onions like lower humidity with cool temperatures. Sweet potatoes should never go in the fridge; they need to be stored in a warm room like the kitchen.

I try to eat something I grew every day of the year, and mostly I do that. Dried herbs, garlic and frozen foods are always there for me to use, so I do.

Featured photo: A straw used to remove air from a bag of cherry tomatoes. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Kiddie Pool 22/09/01

Family fun for the weekend

Movie night

• The final Movies in the Park from Merrimack’s Parks & Recreation takes place Saturday, Sept. 3, at dusk (about 7:30 p.m.) in Wasserman Park. The screening of Sing 2 (PG, 2021) is free for Merrimack residents and nonresidents, according to merrimackparksandrec.org.

Weekend at the museum

• At the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002), Sunday, Sept. 4, is the last day the museum will be open before its annual maintenance period, according to the website. Until then, head to the museum for play windows of either 9 a.m. to noon (through Sept. 4) or 1 to 4 p.m. (through Saturday, Sept. 3). Buy admission for a specific time period in advance for $12.50 for adults and everyone over 12 months old and $10.50 for seniors age 65+. The museum will reopen on Friday, Sept. 16, with Toddlerfest, its annual week of activities and events geared toward the littles. See the schedule of events, including the Saturday, Sept. 17, performance by musician Steve Blunt, on the museum’s website.

• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) has been open daily during the summer and is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 4. Reserve admission for an arrival time (between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. or 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.); admission costs $12 for adults, $11 for students and seniors and $9 for kids ages 3 to 12; kids up to age 2 get in free. Planetarium shows, which take place hourly from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m., cost an additional $5 per person. After Labor Day, regular admission is available Friday through Sunday. And save the date for AerospaceFest on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. This outdoor event is free and features hands-on science activities, live music from Mr. Aaron and more.

• The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) is also open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last admission at 3 p.m.) on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends, through Monday, Sept. 5. The center will close for annual renovations Tuesday, Sept. 6, through Friday, Sept. 16. Admission costs $10 for ages 3 and up. The center’s website recommends reserving a spot.

• Another museum open this weekend is the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; nhahs.org, 669-4820), whose hours are Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for age 13 and over, and $5 for 65+, veterans and active military and kids ages 6 to 12. Kids ages 5 and under get in free and there is a family maximum of $30, according to the website.

• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) will be open Monday, Sept. 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — though normally closed Mondays, the museum is open on some holiday Mondays. Admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17; children under 13 get in for free. Or stroll the galleries for free on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of Art After Work (the weekly series offering free admission, live music and exhibit tours).

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