A Cup of Delicious — 02/12/2026

on the cover

Yes, box of chocolates is standard, but maybe this Valentine’s Day you get your sweetheart a cup of chocolate. In this week’s issue, John Fladd looks at hot chocolate and its variations.

Also on the cover But first, vote! Vote now! Vote in Hippo’s Best of 2026 readers’ poll, where you can tell us where to get the best ice cream, cocktails and burgers — and rave about non-food faves. See hippopress.com for a link to the survey.

Michael Witthaus talks to The Community Players of Concord ahead of their production of Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson — Apt. 2B, a twist on classic Sherlock Holmes tales.

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Safety summits NH Recycles is offering three in-person Solid Waste Safety Summits and one webinar about lithium-ion battery safety open ...
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Recycling less As reported in a Feb. 3 online article by the New Hampshire Bulletin, data from the New Hampshire ...
The Big Story – Pats Lose Super Bowl: Sadly, the unexpected magic carpet ride of the 2025 Patriots season crash-landed ...
four women on stage wearing the same blue dress, sitting and standing on set for play about bridesmaids
Thursday, Feb. 12 The Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center at Saint Anselm College in Manchester will hold an ...
take out cup of hot chocolate with crumb, sprinkle, and marshmallow toppings sitting beside tray of toppings set out for use
The joy of hot chocolate According to Catarina Mahoney, co-owner of Brookford Farm, it’s important to drink hot chocolate in ...
two actresses on stage set of indoor space, one wearing collared shirt and old fashioned vest with steampunk goggles on her head, fists up as if ready to box. The other actress dressed in black modern leather coat and looking on with dubious expression
Sherlock tale re-told in Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson — Apt. 2B The game is afoot, and the many tropes ...
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Donna, My father owned a restaurant years and years ago, and we found these plates from Syracuse China, 11 of ...
Family fun for whenever Winter fun! • The Wilton NH Main Street Association will hold its Winter Fest on Saturday, ...
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• Weather delay: The Fire on Main event hosted by 603 Brewery (42 Main St, Londonderry, 404-6123, 603brewery.com) originally scheduled ...
The vegan eatery finds a new brick and mortar home in Concord K.S. LeBlanc is happy to put down roots ...
Pile of assorted chocolate and sugar heart shaped Valentine's Day candy
Valentine’s Day leftovers — sweet! Liz Ryan is a reference librarian and the adult programming coordinator at the Derry Public ...
album covers for Amanda McCarthy, Looking For The Lightand Maria Schneider, American Crow
Amanda McCarthy, Looking For The Light (self-released) Surely you recognize this country-pop singer-songwriter’s name if you’ve followed New Hampshire music ...
Oscar documentaries
Many of this year’s Oscar-nominated feature-length (four of the five nominees) and short-film documentaries (three of the five) are available ...
book cover for The Emergency, by George Packer
(Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 401 pages) During the Covid-19 pandemic, George Packer often traveled between rural New York and New ...
Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang and Wild Cherry. There will be winery selections, a full bar with themed ...
woman with short gray hair, wearing red glasses, holding guitar, in outdoor city space
The Livery welcomes Christine Tassan et les Imposteures With an infectious blend of swing music and jazz created by guitar ...

Nachos — 02/05/2026

on the cover

Layers of comfort and joy — that is John Fladd’s description of nachos, that food that can be a snack, a meal, a party or a dessert depending on how you construct it. Ahead of a weekend when you might be looking to feed a crowd, John gets advice on building a great plate of nachos.

Also on the cover Vote! Vote now! Vote in Hippo’s Best of 2026 readers’ poll, where you can make your opinions known on such issues as where to get the best pizza, tacos, burgers, cookies, chicken tenders and more — plus non-food faves. See hippopress.com for a link to the survey.

In food, John gets the details on the Fire on Main — a bonfire and block party held by the 603 Brewery and slated for Saturday, Feb. 7, in Londonderry. See the story on page 18.

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Greater Nashua Mental Health In a Facebook post on Feb. 2, Greater Nashua Mental Health said that the 440 Amherst ...
A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
Frozen pipes As reported by WMUR in a Jan. 27 online article, the recent cold weather has led to frozen ...
The Big Story – Pats and Seattle in SB: New England faces Seattle on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. It’s from ...
book cover for Courtship in Purgatory by Robert B. Perreault
Thursday, Feb. 5 NH Poet Laureate Jennifer Militello will present her new book Identifying the Pathogen: An Inquiry tonight at ...
nachos topped with cream cheese based street corn, peppers, grilled chicken, and green onions
Experts weigh in on this fully loaded party-ready snack Nachos might be the most social food; they are meant to ...
man standing at podium in front of blank wall, woman at table a few feet away, sitting and looking at him
Theatre Kapow performs What The Constitution Means To Me When Theatre Kapow put together its current season last spring, the ...
close up of rough textured bark on tree in winter
Identifying trees in winter If you like to hike or snowshoe in the winter, you might like to learn the ...
Family fun for whenever Valentine’s fun The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington St. in Dover, childrens-museum.org, will hold ...
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Hi, Donna, I enjoy reading your column in the Hippo and was wondering if you could identify this tool I ...
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• Reopened-ish: Caesario’s Pizza at 1057 Elm St., which had been closed following a fire in 2022, reopened under new ...
poster for Fire on Main showing graphic illustration of large bonfire on grass field with red truck and woods in background at night
Bonfire block party at the 603 “When you drive by,” Kellyn Thompson said, “there’s a big field out behind the ...
clear plastic cafe case with baked goods on shelves, four sizes of drink cups on top with fruit inside - on counter in cafe
New location and new name for smoothie purveyor born in the mall The name is different, but the smoothies are ...
short ball glass on counter filled with ice and a light brown cocktail
Most Americans don’t seem to appreciate bitter tastes. We’re fine with other strong flavors — we love sweets, many of ...
album covers for Transatlantic Radio, “City Of Angels” Midnight Transmission and The Stripp, Life Imitates Art
Transatlantic Radio, “City Of Angels” Midnight Transmission (Frontiers Music s.r.l.) Any time a press release bumbles into my inbox touting ...
book cover for Off the Scales by Aimee Donnellan
(St. Martin’s Press, 287 pages) From Hollywood stars who microdose the drug to people who were once hundreds of pounds ...
• Church chuckles: The upstairs lounge at Stone Church has a slate of standup comics including Rob Steen, Shawn Ruiz, ...
man holding guitar, smiling
Jazz guitar accompanies art opening Art and music go together like chardonnay and a fine brie. The pairing of jazz ...
rectangular corner piece of baked dessert bar, chunks of fruit showing inside
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, browned 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup (120 g) ...

Winter Hikes — 01/29/2026

on the cover

In this week’s cover story, Michael Witthaus considers the particular fun of winter hikes, getting some advice for hitting the trails in winter and some trails to check out.

Also on the cover Have you voted? Vote now in Hippo’s Best of 2026 readers’ poll, where you can vote for your favorite tacos, pizza, chicken tenders, ice cream and cocktails — plus non-food faves. See hippopress.com for a link to the survey.

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A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
Bob Baines Bob Baines, who served as Manchester’s mayor in the early 2000s, died last week, according to a statement ...
A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade canceled According to its website (saintpatsnh.com), Manchester’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, originally scheduled for Sunday, ...
The Big Story – It’s 2013 All Over Again: Every time the Red Sox advanced in 2013, I asked, how ...
screenshot from The Testament of Ann Lee movie showing actors dressed in period clothing dancing at Quaker meeting
Thursday, Jan. 29 The SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) will host Dancing With the Stars: Live tonight ...
woods in snow, wooden footbridge bridging small chasm, sunny day
The joys of hiking in winter This year the Appalachian Mountain Club marks its 150th anniversary as the country’s oldest ...
evening wedding family dinner in the forest with light bulbs and candles
Special advertising section Goodbye “Corporate Gala,” Hello High-End Dinner Party For decades, the wedding industry operated like a well-oiled machine, ...
group of actors on stage under red light
Local actors, directors and more will be honored at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards Granite State stages were quite busy ...
wooden chair with red upholstery on seat and back
Dear Donna, Just saw the Hippo paper with the Victorian chair. That makes me think one of mine may be ...
Family fun for whenever The hills are alive • The Gilbert H. Hood Drama Club will present The Sound of ...
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• Cake and wine: Wine on Main (9 N. Main St., Concord, 897-5828, wineonmainnh.com) will host an Oreo Drip Cake ...
outside of restaurant with colorful posters in windows
The most personalized meals ever One of the attractions of going out for Korean barbecue or hot pot is the ...
two glasses of champagne sitting on table with small appetizer board
Wine, cheese, chocolate and more “I think restaurants need to be a little bit more than just a restaurant these ...
dessert bar with cream cheese center on crumb base, topped with melty strawberry sauce. On plate with fork
This is an excellent all-day project for when weather has you stuck in the house. No one part of this ...
album covers for KMFDM, Enemy and Ben Rosenblum’s Nebula Project, The Longest Way Round
KMFDM, Enemy (Metropolis Records) This Hamburg, Germany-based industrial band has always been mandatory listening for safety-pin goths with aircraft-carrier-sized chips ...
Book cover for Into the Midnight Wood
Alexandra McCollum has conjured some incredibly endearing characters in Into the Midnight Wood, their debut novel about two comically disparate ...
• Song circle: A monthly evening of original music preceded by wine tasting, Songwriter RoundUp is hosted by Katie Dobbins ...
black and white image of pan holding guitair in wooden room with dead deer heads above him on the wall
Griffin William Sherry returns to Rex After his band The Ghost of Paul Revere called it quits after a dozen ...

Season of Music — 01/22/2026

on the cover

French fries are a perfect food. Maybe not, like, nutritionally or whatever, but a well made french fry is both a delight on its own with just a sprinkle of salt and a delivery system for an equally tasty world of seasonings and dips. John Fladd looks at what goes into making a great french fry in this week’s cover story. Above and on the cover, french fries from River Road Tavern in Bedford. Photo by John Fladd.

Also on the cover: Have you voted? Vote now in Hippo’s Best of 2026 readers’ poll, where you can vote for your favorite tacos, pizza, chicken tenders, ice cream and cocktails — plus non-food faves. See hippopress.com for a link to the survey.

And it’s Concord NH Winter Fest in downtown Concord! Check out the story on page 15 for details about Saturday’s event and see page 7 for information about Art & Bloom, the art event happening concurrently at Kimball Jenkins this weekend.

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Celebrating Christa McAuliffe The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord will hold “Reach for the Stars: Celebrating Christa McAuliffe” Saturday, Jan ...
A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
A school project with wings According to a Jan. 13 online article by WMUR, an airplane built by students at ...
The Big Story – Pats Win: Been saying it all year, and did it again Sunday — how are they ...
A group of kids dress up as Dr. Sues characters.
Thursday, Jan. 22 “Art and Bloom,” a show in collaboration with the Women’s Caucus for Art, New Hampshire Chapter, and ...
Cajun Seasoned French Fries with Organic Ketchup
A look at the making of the tastiest of foods By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com As with most wonderful things that seem ...
A ghostly looking woman performs an intricate ballet.
Ukrainian ballet tour comes to New Hampshire By Michael Witthausmwitthaus@hippopress.com The Grand Kyiv Ballet Company was forged through the crucible ...
A small wooden toy set with a clown and balls, painted bright colors of blue red and yellow.
Dear Donna, Do you know anything about this toy clown set? I recently bought this for my daughter at a ...
A beautiful carved ice statue of a griffin.
Concord holds its annual winter festival By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com According to Jessica Martin, the executive director of Intown Concord, one ...
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By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com • Whiskey 101: Arts Alley (20 S. Main St., Concord, 406-5666, artsalleyconcordnh.com) and Tamworth Distilling (15 Cleveland ...
A black and white sign in a city saying, "Miller's Tavern".
A new restaurant brings lessons from one Elm Street corner to another By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com For 15 years, The Farm ...
A black and white sign in a city saying, "Miller's Tavern".
Village Play Cafe offers a place for parents and kids to relax By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com The target demographic of Village ...
A tall yellow drink with ice and a blue umbrella.
Here is my take on this classic. 1½ ounces light rum — On this occasion I’ve used Captain Morgan’s Sweet ...
Djrum, Under Tangled Silence (Houndstooth Records) & Hoaxed, Death Knocks (Relapse Records)
Djrum, Under Tangled Silence (Houndstooth Records) It was way past time to cover this one — seven months to be ...
Book cover for Into the Midnight Wood by Alexandra McCollum
(Knopf, 177 pages) Thomas McGuane’s 18th book, A Wooded Shore, fits nicely on a shelf in a man cave. Comprising ...
• Bon voyage: There are changes ahead for Concord jamsters Andrew North & the Rangers. With drummer Dale Grant moving ...
A group of men dressed in black and a red-headed woman in white pose in a brick alley.
Fox and The Flamingos hit BNH Stage By Michael Witthausmwitthaus@hippopress.com Female-fronted funk will be in the spotlight when Fox and ...

Season of Music — 01/15/2026

on the cover

You can find concerts in venues big and small nearly every day for the rest of winter. In this week’s cover story, Michael Witthaus lists the shows to keep you humming along for the rest of the season. Above, on the cover and on page 8, is the band Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, from the band’s website raniarbo.com; photo courtesy the band by Joanna Chattman.

Also on the cover New Hampshire celebrates Wine Week with special tastings and the New England Winter Wine Spectacular. John Fladd gets the details on page 16.

Get ready to vote in Hippo’s Best of 2026 readers’ poll! Vote for the best pizza, best cocktail and best sandwiches! Plus other non-food things! Voting starts Thursday, Jan. 15, at hippopress.com.

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A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
MLK Day In the coming days, local organizations will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with special programming. In Manchester, ...
A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
In the spirit of Adam Sander The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has announced the winners of the Second Annual ...
The Big Story – Patriots Move to Round II: So much for “they’re only there because of an easy schedule.” ...
illustrated image of disco ball on blue background over floor of colorful squares with words in neon blue and pink "Disco Inferno", 1980s vibe
Thursday, Jan. 15 Pilot Paul Russo will speak at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, ...
promo shot of four band members standing in pond up to their knees, one holding guitar one holding violin
Your packed winter schedule of performances big and small From now until the final full day of winter on March ...
selfie of woman wearing scarf, positioned in corner of image with cozy craft shop laid out behind her, featuring tables and shelves of product
Moth & Wren Handwork Studio now open in Manchester A few months ago, a new yarn shop opened on Bridge ...
tapered metal rod with lines inscribed at even intervals, wooden handle
Dear Donna, Can you help me out with this tool? My sister thinks it’s for measuring melted candy. I found ...
Family fun for whenever Outdoors • Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, 23 Science Center Road in Holderness, nhnature.org, is offering ...
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• An even blinder taste test: LaBelle Winery Derry (14 Route 111, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com/labelle-winery-derry) will host a blindfolded wine ...
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Nashua event celebrates the San Sebastian Festival If we were in Puerto Rico right now, the holiday festivities would not ...
woman pouring wine into visitor's wineglass at indoor event
New Hampshire wine week offers tasting and learning opportunities The annual New Hampshire Wine Week features tastings including at New ...
two rolled crepes on plate topped with dollops of cheese and basil
Crepes 1¼ cup (285 g) whole milk 2 eggs 3 Tablespoons butter, browned ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons (80 g) ...
Album covers for Bren Holmes, A Rush to the Start Line and Crystal Lake, The Weight of Sound
Bren Holmes, A Rush to the Start Lin (self-released) Given that this guy is an original member of the Irish ...
• Fare thee well: With the passing of Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead is truly no longer. Dave Gerard and ...
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The Wrong Hill to Die On is right for laughs On an upcoming evening at Shaskeen Pub in Manchester, The ...

Big Flavors without the buzz — 01/08/2026

on the cover

Non-alcoholic drink offerings have gone way beyond soda and tea. Alcohol-free versions of gin, tequila and whiskey offer an opportunity to mix up a standard cocktail without the buzz. And mixologists use blends of ingredients to create complex flavors with sweet, savory and herbaceous elements. Above and on the cover, a Lavender Blueberry mocktail that ran as a special at 815 Cocktails & Provisions in Manchester, where Sian Quinn crafts the eatery’s mocktails. Photo courtesy 815 Cocktails & Provisions.

Also on the cover: Michael Witthaus talks to the Free Range Revue about their murder mystery riff Get A Clue (page 12). Michael also talks to guitarist Johnny A. ahead of Beck-Ola, a show celebrating the music of Jeff Beck on Jan. 9 (page 20). And, voting starts Thursday, Jan. 15, in our annual Hippo’s Best of 2026 readers’ poll. Save the date to head to hippopress.com and vote for the area’s best pizza, best hair stylist, best hiking trail and more.

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A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
Museum news As of December, Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, 27 Navigator Road in Londonderry, has joined SEE Science Center ...
A graphic the shape of the state of New Hampshire, filled in with the New Hampshire flag made up of the crest of New Hampshire on a blue field.
An omen for 2026? As reported by WMUR in a Dec. 28 online article, a fireball in the sky was ...
The Big Story – Pats Start Playoff March: After going an unexpected 14-3, the Patriots are back in the playoffs, ...
The Wrong Hill to Die On logo, a shield and microphone over an orange background.
Thursday, Jan. 8 The all-woman 1980s hard rock band Vixen performs tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tupelo Music Hall ...
A yellow flower-topped breakfast mocktail, colored light brown with large pieces of ice.
Mocktails and non-alcoholic spirits and wine offer grown-up flavors without the booze By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com Until relatively recently, your non-alcoholic ...
Photo courtesy of Free Range Revue.
Popular game and movie merge with drag at BNH Stage event By Michael Witthausmwitthaus@hippopress.com Get a Clue, an upcoming event ...
An old orange wafer box with a foggy glass top.
Dear Donna,Can you give me any information on this old wafer box? It has a glass top and is in ...
Family fun for whenever On ice Disney on Ice presents Frozen & Encanto on Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan ...
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• Blind tasting with wine experts: As part of New Hampshire Wine Week (NHWineWeek.com), the State Liquor Commission has launched ...
A fancy coffee with a gingerbread man on an orange plate.
New coffee scene lifts a traditional cafe By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com If your restaurant is already considered a hidden gem, how ...
A man in plaid holds an oreo with a serious expression in the middle of the woods
A podcast experiment goes for the slam dunk By John Fladdjfladd@hippopress.com Nick Sands, the host of the podcast and YouTube ...
A tall Virgin Mary with a metal straw
It is said that the three hardest things for a man to say are “I was wrong,” “I need help,” ...
Alter Bridge, Alter Bridge (Napalm Records) & Diane Coll, Strangely In Tune (self-released)
Alter Bridge, Alter Bridge (Napalm Records) One could argue that this Orlando, Florida, band amounts to nothing more exciting than ...
A man in a black vest plays an electric guitar
Johnny A. brings Beck-Ola back to Tupelo By Michael Witthausmwitthaus@hippopress.com Growing up, Johnny A. had two favorite bands, The Beatles ...
• Take a chance: Few tribute acts reach the level of success of Mania! Performing the music of ABBA, their ...

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