Category: Outdoors

Pumpkin Fest time

The Milford Pumpkin Festival is back for the 33rd year

By Katelyn Sahagian

ksahagian@hippopress.com

The Milford Pumpkin Festival is back for the 33rd year of celebrating everything autumn.

Wade Campbell, the president of the festival committee, said he was thrilled to bring the festival back in its full glory.

“[The festival] brings people in and lets people know we’re Milford,” Campbell said. “To me, we have the best pumpkin festival.”

This year, there will be more than 200 vendors selling everything from handmade crafts to delicious foods (including one of Campbell’s favorites, a specialty soda truck that does nothing but different flavors of root beer.) The vendors are across the five locations that the fair takes over each year in the downtown area.

Booths will also be set up from local nonprofits, like fundraisers for the local schools and historical society.

The opening night ceremonies on Friday are extravagant, Campbell said, including the pumpkin runner, someone who will run a path through town to get to town hall and “light” it up for the festivities. Campbell said that it was the festival’s take on the Olympic runner, followed by the usual induction ceremony activities.

Each of the locations offers different activities, said Campbell. There is live music and entertainment at three of the locations; a beer, wine, and spirits tasting; the pumpkin weigh-off at the Community House Lawn; a rubber duck race (water levels permitting) at Middle Street and town hall, and the haunted trail at Emerson Park.

All of the locations are within walking distance of each other, and there will be free parking locations at several locations in town with buses shuttling people back and forth.

Campbell said it’s important to him and his organization to not forget about the town that they are in and the local businesses that are in the area. He said that, because they close every road besides Route 13, he encourages businesses to remain open and take advantage of the foot traffic.

While the festival has grown over the years, back when the fair was initially started, it was not much more than a small festival surrounding the pumpkin weigh-off, Campbell said. The festival was begun by a group trying to raise money for building a new town hall.

Campbell said he’d only attended one festival, in 1996, and had never been to another, until his team took over the fair

“We came in not knowing anything about it … honestly we didn’t have any idea what we were doing,” Campbell said. “We’ve taken it from what they had and accelerated it to the next level.”

Even with the size of the festival right now, Campbell said he would love to find a way to grow it even larger. His biggest issue is finding more space.

For right now, he’s just excited to be having another great festival.

“Honestly, watching how much fun people have, that’s my favorite part of the festival,” Campbell said. “The community spirit, people coming down to enjoy it and everyone that gets involved, there’s nothing like it.”

Milford Pumpkin Festival
Where: Downtown Milford, 1 Union Square, Milford
When: Friday, Oct. 7, from 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Price: Admission is free
Visit: milfordpumpkinfestival.org

Featured photo: Scarecrows from the Milford Pumpkin Festival. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 22/09/29

Family fun for the weekend

Festivals galore

• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia) is holding a multi-day pumpkin festival featuring pumpkin picking, tractor train rides, horse-drawn wagons, pumpkin art, live music and more. Visit their website to pick a date and time to attend. Available dates are Saturday, Oct. 1, and Sunday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 8, through Monday, Oct. 10. Tickets are $22 per person and must be purchased in advance online (free for kids ages 23 months and under). Go to visitthefarm.com to purchase tickets and for more information.

• Join DeMerritt Hill Farm (20 Orchard Way, Lee) for Pumpkinfest on Saturday, Oct. 1, and Sunday, Oct. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be pumpkin rock painting and naming contests for the chance to win prizes, as well as face-painting and pre-picked pumpkins available for purchase. Visit demerritthillfarm.com for more details.

• There will be a harvest fest on the lawn of the Taylor Library (49 E. Derry Road, Derry) on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring games, crafts, snacks, music, balloon twisters and a special visit from the Derry Fire Department. Visit taylorlibrary.org for more information.

• The educational farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) is hosting a Fall Fest on Sunday, Oct. 2, from noon to 4 p.m. The fair will have tractor rides, a pumpkin patch, crafts, a petting farm, live music, tasty treats and more. No registration is needed. Visit theeducationalfarm.org

• The last days of Toddlerfest are this week, with the final day being Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St., Dover). The annual celebration offers guests up to age 5 experiences with music and movement, science, art and storytelling. The festival is included in the price for tickets for general admission. Visit childrens-museum.org to purchase tickets and for more information.

Explore science

• SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St., Manchester) is inviting kids and families to make their own Simon Says game on Saturday, Oct. 1, to celebrate the 100th birthday of Ralph Baer, the game’s creator. Participants will need to bring a laptop capable of downloading Arduino IDE software to be able to participate. The program runs from 1 to 3 p.m. and costs $5 plus regular admission. The project is recommended for kids ages 12 and older. Visit see-sciencecenter.org for more information.

Farm fun

• NOFA-NH and Brookford Farms are celebrating their respective 50- and 10-year anniversaries with a pizza party, live music, and farm tour at 250 West Road, Canterbury, on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. In addition to everything listed above, there will also be a hay maze, apple cider pressing, encounters with wildlife, and more. Visit nofanh.org.

Showtime

• The run of The Little Mermaidat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) is ending with its final performance on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m. The show follows the adventures of the little mermaid, Ariel, who falls in love with a human she rescues. Tickets start at $25 and can be bought at palacetheatre.org.

Sports fans

Got kids who love sports? They might be keen to watch older kids play the sports they are just starting to enjoy. Hippo’s sports writer, Dave Long, suggests a few upcoming games your kids might want to check out:

• Boys Soccer – Concord at Nashua South, today, Thursday. Sept. 29, at 4 p.m. These two are bunched at the top of the Division 1 standings with several others. So October will be wild as very good teams battle all month for who’ll be seeded where come tournament time. And kicking off the race will be the Crimson on the road vs. the Titans at Nashua’s Stellos Stadium (7 Stadium Drive).

• Football – Campbell at Trinity, Friday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. An earlyseason battle of teams that come into tomorrow’s clash at Trinity High School (581 Bridge St. in Manchester). The winner takes the lead to be the top seed in the Division 3 tournament.

• Girls Soccer – Derryfield at Trinity, Sunday, Oct. 2, at 4 p.m. A Manchester city battle at Trinity. With the Pioneers being relatively new to D-3, it’s not quite a rivalry game. But with them now meeting twice a year, it’s probably not far off. The next edition comes Oct. 21 on the synthetic at D-field that looks to be twice regulation size when you drive up to it on North River Road.

Fair and square

The Deerfield Fair celebrates New Hampshire agriculture traditions

By Katelyn Sahagian

ksahagian@hippopress.com

For more than a century the Deerfield Fair has celebrated agriculture, handmade items, farm animals and families during the first few days of autumn.

“We came back last year stronger than ever and this year is looking just as good,” said Richard Pitman, the vice president of the Deerfield Fair.

Over the course of the last near century and a half, the fair has taken a break only during World War II and the Covid-19 pandemic, said Pitman.

The Deerfield Fair is back for the 145th year, starting Saturday, Sept. 29, with midway amusement rides, delicious fair food and dozens of different horse, cattle and pumpkin competitions before wrapping up on Sunday, Oct. 2.

The newest entertainment at the fair will be K-9 police unit demonstrations, where, as Pitman said, the dogs will “show off and get the bad guy.” There will also be a group of archers teaching people the proper ways to handle bows and how to shoot them at the 4-H building.

colorful ferris wheel seen from below
Courtesy photo.

“We’ve been bombarded with entries by exhibitors, everything from household goods to horse pulling, dairy and beef cows, even oxen pulling,” Pitman said.

He added that there will be an assortment of different fried fair foods, midway rides and games, and craftsmen’s displays including woodworking and blacksmithing.

There will be buildings with hand-woven and braided rugs, photography, art, and different produce grown by gardeners and farmers from across the state. A petting farm will be set up with sheep, alpacas, llamas and other farm animals.

Catch live music and performances (such as puppets, the Flying Wallendas, magic and more) on four stages throughout the weekend. The Miss Deerfield Fair pageant will take place on Friday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. The fair will feature strolling performers playing on all four days include Bryson Lang, I’m Not a Clown, Pirate Man Dan, Moose Mountain Jazz Band, Have a Cartoon You, Seacoast NH Ukulele and Mixtape A Cappella Group.

The highlights of the fair will be the giant pumpkin and gourd weigh-offs, the horse pulling competition, and the tractor pulling competition, according to Pitman. He said that the fair is a place for every aspect of agriculture and homemade lifestyle to be encouraged.

“We celebrate all aspects of the homegrown lifestyle,” Pitman said.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Harvest Moon gathering

Mount Kearsarge Indian Museum festival returns

By Katelyn Sahagian

ksahagian@hippopress.com

For close to 30 years, the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum has hosted an annual harvest festival for people to learn more about Native American tribes and what they do at harvest time.

Andy Bullock, the director of the museum, said that this event, happening this year on Sunday, Sept. 25, is a long-standing tradition for the museum.

“It’s going to be a really great day,” Bullock said.

Bullock said that animals are always a part of the festivities. This year, the museum will have different raptors, an arctic fox named Yuka, a bunny named Gus, and ponies that will be giving rides.

In addition to the animals, families can play traditional games and do different activities, and vendors and artisans will be selling handmade items like beadwork and dreamcatchers. The event will also feature demonstrations on woodworking and leather working, and a special presentation on how to make corn husk dolls.

Bullock said he is particularly excited for the food that will be served at the festival. Most of the food will be from Native recipes, including a stew made from bison that was farmed locally in Warner.

A kids’ activity will focus on the “Three Sisters,” or corn, beans and squash, said Bullock. There will be a corncob game as part of the activity.

The museum will be open during the hours of the festival, Bullock said, and tickets to the festival are included with admission to the museum.

The museum was recently recognized as one of the top 10 Native American museums in the United States, Bullock said. The museum exists to remind people that Native Americans didn’t vanish in New Hampshire.

“There are no federal reservations in New Hampshire, and the state doesn’t recognize local bands of Natives,” Bullock said. “It’s logical to assume for people to think that Natives have been gone for 200 years.”

Bullock said this festival helps keep Native American history alive, and it also encourages people to take time and enjoy the scenery around them.

“A lot of people don’t have the opportunity to just sit out on the hillside and enjoy the day,” Bullock said.

Featured photo: Crafts from last year’s Harvest Moon Festival. Courtesy photo.

Kiddie Pool 22/09/22

Family fun for the weekend

Festival fun

• Presentation of Mary Academy (182 Lowell Road, Hudson) is hosting its annual fall fun fest on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will have events such as ax throwing and a touch-a-truck. There will also be food trucks, face-painting, craft vendors, a bake sale and raffles. Visit pmaschool.org for more information.

• The Town of Chester is closing its year-long series of 300th anniversary celebrations with a Tricentennial Grand Finale festival on Saturday, Sept. 24, beginning at noon at 4 Murphy Drive in Chester. There will be live music and food vendors. The highlight of the day will be a “mega” parade that kicks off at 2 p.m. on Chester Street. The night will close out with a fireworks display at 8 p.m. Visit chesternh300.org for more information.

Movie time

• The three locations of Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham) will have a little lunch date featuring the 2015 movie Home (PG) on Friday, Sept. 23. Home follows Tip, a young girl trying to find her mother after Earth is taken over by the alien race called the Boov. She meets and befriends a runaway Boov named Oh and together they escape the Boov, and search for Tip’s mom. The movie starts at 3:45 p.m. and tickets cost $5. Visit chunkys.com for more information and to purchase tickets.

Outdoor adventures

• Explore the outdoors in a book with author Susie Spikol as she talks about her newest book, The Animal Adventurer’s Guide: How to Prowl For an Owl, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed, at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) on Saturday Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. The book is filled with crafts, activities and adventures children can go on in their backyard. Spikol is bringing a craft for attendees to participate in at the event. The event is free to attend and more information about it can be found at gibsonsbookstore.com.

• The annual Fairy House Tours are back this year on Saturday, Sept. 24, and Sunday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. There will be hundreds of little fairy houses on the grounds of the Strawbery Banke Museum, Governor John Langdon House, Prescott Park Arts Festival and the Gundalow waterfront. There will also be fairy inspired dances by the Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater, performed at the Prescott Park Arts Festival’s main stage in the gardens of the Governor John Langdon House and The Players’ Ring. Tickets cost $12 for an adult, $8 for a senior, $6 for a child, or $30 for a family of four. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit friendsofthesouthend.betterworld.org.

• Get ready to search high and low at the 5th Annual Great MassabeSEEK Scavenger Hunt on Sunday, Sept. 25, at the New Hampshire Audubon Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn). The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. and there will be several activities throughout the day, including a s’mores bonfire, yard games, a live animal exhibit, a craft room and more. Tickets for people ages 12 and older are $25, for ages 3 to 11 they are $15, and children younger than 3 are free. To register or for more information, visit nhaudubon.org

• The Bow Mills United Methodist Church (505 South St., Bow) is hosting its 17th Annual Pumpkin Patch starting on Monday, Sept. 26. The pumpkin patch currently has more than 1,000 pumpkins in it. The patch is open weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. The pumpkin patch will remain open until Oct. 31. For more information, visit bowmillsumc.org.

Fall flowers to know and love

Try asters, Joe Pye or turtlehead for autumn color

Many gardeners go to the plant nurseries in June, and buy things in bloom for their gardens — and rarely go back until the next year. But that means that now, as summer winds down, they have few flowers in bloom. Not me. I buy perennials in all seasons. Fall flowers are important not only for me, but for those monarch butterflies that need to have plenty of hefty meals before taking off for Mexico.

Many of the flowers that bloom in fall are tall wild flowers that have been tamed and made into garden flowers: Many of the fall asters, Joe Pye weed and rudbeckias (black-eyed susans) sold in nurseries were just selected and bred to be more “garden worthy.”

According to entomologists in the know, the best plant for pollinators in fall is the goldenrod (Solidago spp.). This tall beauty has a bad reputation in some circles as a few species of goldenrod are a bit aggressive, arriving uninvited and spreading like crazy by root. And since they have massive root systems, they are not easy to remove. But not all are like that, and some are being sold in nurseries.

One of my favorite goldenrods is Fireworks. I’ve had it about 10 years. The original plant has gotten bigger every year, but never to the point of causing problems. It blooms in September with sprays of dainty yellow flowers in a vase-like arrangement. It is readily available in nurseries. It stands 3 to 4 feet tall.

I also grow one called blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia) that is a shade-loving, diminutive goldenrod that I bought at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Mass., many years ago. It is perfectly well-behaved: It stays in a tidy clump and blooms late in the fall. It’s only about 16 inches tall.

New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) is a great pollinator plant that stands 4 to 6 feet tall or more with purple aster-like blossoms in big clusters. It does best in full sun and moist soil. Because it is such a tall plant once established, it is recommended that you cut it back to the ground when it is 2 feet tall in early summer to get a more manageable size. I wouldn’t do that until Year 2 or 3. And don’t give it fertilizer at planting time, or it may flop. Monarchs just love this plant, as do a myriad of bees.

New England asters (now no longer with the scientific genus name of aster, but Symphyotrichum) come in many sizes and a few colors. The wild ones are great. I have them alongside my stream in a light lavender. But commercially available ones come in pink and purple, too. They vary in height from quite short (often sold in bloom with the chrysanthemums) to over 5 feet tall. The mum-sized ones get taller in Year 2 and after, as they are cut back repeatedly to increase the number of blossoms and to keep them short. Full sun is best for these; they will grow in ordinary garden soil.

tall plants staked up in garden, purple flowers
New York Ironweed often needs to be staked to keep it from flopping. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium spp., formerly Eupatorium) is also beloved by monarchs and pollinators of all kinds. The native Joe Pye grows wild along my stream, but I also have it growing in a garden bed I call the “Darwin bed.” The Darwin bed never gets weeded, and tall flowers fight for space. That bed contains Joe Pye, turtle head, asters, goldenrod and giant fleece flower, among others.

The variety in the Darwin bed is one called Gateway. Instead of greenish stems, it has dark purple-black stems, and it grows even taller than the native species. Mine is nearly 8 feet tall growing in moist, rich soil. All kinds have pink-to-purple flowers in large panicles at the tops of stems, sometimes a foot or more across.

There is a smaller version of Joe Pye weed, one called Baby Joe, that has been bred to be smaller, allegedly 2 to 3 feet tall. But I hear it is more like 3 to 4 feet tall if pleased with where it is situated. All have very tenacious root systems, so plant it where you want it.

Of my favorites is loved by bumblebees but the nectar and pollen is unavailable to monarchs because the blossoms are tightly closed. Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) has clusters of delightful pink blossoms atop 4-foot stems. The flowers are unlike anything else I grow. They resemble the head of a turtle, and bumblebees force their way in through the ”mouth” of the turtle. If you listen, sometimes you can hear the bees inside — almost growling. Or are they purring? I don’t know.

Turtlehead has a long bloom time and is a great cut flower. They start blooming in August and bloom through much of September. They do best with rich, moist soil but I have them in full sun as well as full shade. There is another turtlehead that is white, but much less vigorous for me. Its Latin name is C. glabra and I have rarely seen it for sale in a nursery.

A real delight for me is to have a few bulb plants that bloom in the fall. Fall crocus is actually not a crocus at all, but a species known as Colchicum autumnale. It has leaves in the spring that disappear in summer, then it surprises us with big crocus-like blossoms on 4-inch stems. The flowers come in singles and doubles in colors from white to pink to purple. Expensive, but worth it. Most reliable in Zone 5 or warmer, though I have it in Zone 4. The flowers are on dainty stems, and often flop over unless planted in a ground cover like vinca that helps hold the flowers up.

So go to your plant nursery now and see what you can get that blooms in the fall. Our pollinators need food now, too.

Featured photo: Turtlehead is loved by bumblebees. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

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