Category: This Week

Big Events August 24, 2023 and beyond

Friday, Aug. 25

Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road in Manchester; chunkys.com, 206-3888) will hold a family-friendly game of Theater Candy Bingo tonight at 6:15 p.m. Reserve a seat for $10, which includes one bingo card and a $5 food voucher for eats that night.

Friday, Aug. 25

Or play the R-Rated game show Feud Gone Wild, a Family Feud-style game with opportunities for teams and individuals, tonight at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m., at Bank of New Hampshire Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets cost $30.75. Need more competition? Check out the listing of area trivia nights on page 38.

Saturday, Aug. 26

It’s an afternoon of blues today from noon to 4 p.m. at the Londonderry town common during the 9th Annual Blues Festival. The festival is free and is slated to feature Rik-Sha Blues Band (noon), Kan-Tu Blues Band (1:15 p.m.) and Dr. Harp’s Blues Revue Band (2:30 p.m.), according to a press release. The day will feature a 50/50 raffle, local vendors, crafters, food and more, with proceeds from the raffle and vendors benefiting the Combat Vets Association, which provides assistance to veterans, veteran care facilities and other veteran organizations and registered charities throughout New England, the release said.

Saturday, Aug. 26

The Four Horsemen, billed as the “ultimate Metallica tribute band,” will perform tonight at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry; 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35. Find more concerts this weekend and beyond in our Concert listings on page 38.

Sunday, Aug. 27

The silent film The Divine Lady (1929) will screen today at Wilton Town Hall Theatre (Main Street in Wilton; 654-3456, find them on Facebook) at 2 p.m. featuring live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis.

Monday, Aug. 28

Catch a screening of the 2009 movie Coraline (PG) featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the making of this stop-motion animated film based on a Neil Gaiman novella tonight at 7 p.m. at AMC Classic Londonderry, Regal Concord, Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem or Regal Fox Run in Newington. The movies will also screen at the Regals in Concord and Newington and Cinemark in Salem on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. See fathomevents.com for tickets to those shows. O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square in Epping will also screen the movie today at 7 p.m.; see oneilcinemas.com.

Save the date: For Comics!
Granite State Comicon, the celebration of all things comics and pop culture, will take place Friday, Sept. 15, through Sunday, Sept. 17, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown in Manchester. Ticket options include a $110 VIP three-day pass (which includes early entry, a limited-edition print and a goodie bag), a $55 three-day pass, a $40 pass for Saturday and Sunday, and day passes ($10 for Friday, $25 for Saturday, $20 for Sunday). Kids 8 and under get in free with adult admission, according to granitecon.com, where you can purchase tickets and find a schedule of the weekend’s events.

Featured photo: Granite State Comicon

Big Events August 17, 2023 and beyond

Thursday, Aug. 17

Enjoy a little “yes, and” at the Queen City Improv performance today at 7:30 p.m. at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com). Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and students. The event is byob or w, according to the website. Find more places to do some serious chuckling in the Comedy This Week listing on page 41.

Saturday, Aug. 19

Arts Alive invites local artists and art enthusiasts to the renovated mill building at 71 Main St. in Harrisville to learn about the history of the town and the building from local history experts and artists in an event that runs from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $10 per person. See monadnockartsalive.org/artist-field-trips to register.

Saturday, Aug. 19

So good! So good! Catch Cherry Cherry, a Neil Diamond tribute band, today at 8 p.m. at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry; tupelomusichall.com). Tickets cost $35. Find more concerts this weekend and beyond in the Concert listings on page 42.

Saturday, Aug. 19

The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org, 669-4877) will hold PlaneFest! today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. outside of the museum. The day will include cake at 1 p.m. to celebrate Orville Wright’s birthday, flight- and airplane-related activities and crafts (geared at elementary and middle school-age kids), an opportunity to meet aviation-related professionals, airplanes on display and more. Admission to the fest is free; admission to the museum costs $10 per person, $5 for ages 6 to 13 and seniors and veterans (free for children 5 and under). Rain date is Saturday, Aug. 26.

Tuesday, Aug. 22

A six-day stretch of games between the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies starts today at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester with a 7:05 p.m. game. Games on Thursday, Aug. 24, and Saturday, Aug. 26, will feature post-game fireworks. Friday, Aug. 25, will feature a free hat giveaway, and the game on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 1:35 p.m. will feature a pencil pouch giveaway and a Princess Brunch at 10 a.m. for $26. See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Save the date for monsters: Saturday, Aug. 26
Studio 550 Community Art Center (550 Elm St. in Manchester; 550arts.com, 232-5597) will hold its 11th annual Monster Hunt in downtown Manchester on Saturday, Aug. 26, starting at 11 a.m. until the monsters are found — which happens pretty quickly, according to a press release. Studio 550 makes and hides 100 monster medallions in the downtown with each monster finder asked to keep only one monster to spread the monster-finding fun to as many people as possible, the release said. Bring the medallion to Studio 550 to trade in for a red clay monster. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Studio 550 will also host several low-cost hands-on activities, the release said. There will also be a kids-only hunt at DoubleTree Hotel at 10:30 a.m. for kids 5 and under with 25 monsters available and monster stickers for all kids who search, the release said. See 550arts.com/about/monsterhunt. Photo courtesy of Studio 550.

Featured photo: A vintage PT-23 training plane will be on display by the New England Wing of the Commemorative Air Force during this year’s PlaneFest! Courtesy photo.

Big Events August 10, 2023 and beyond

Thursday, Aug. 10

The 66th Annual New Hampshire Antiques Show begins today and runs today and tomorrow (Friday, Aug. 11) from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton (700 Elm St. in Manchester). Admission costs $15 on Thursday, $10 on Friday or Saturday with free return visits after initial admission and free admission to anyone under 30 with ID, according to nhada.org/new-hampshire-antiques-show. This year’s show will feature 67 exhibitors from around the country with items including folk art, fine porcelain, country and formal furniture, paintings, prints, glassware, metalware, pottery and more, according to a press release.

The event comes at the end of a series of shows and events during NH Antiques Week (antiquesweeknh.com). Today is also the final day of Antiques in Manchester: The Collector’s Fair, which runs today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Sullivan Arena on the campus of Saint Anselm College (101 St. Anselm Drive in Manchester). Admission costs $15. The show features free parking, a cafe and an on-site shipper, according to the website. The offerings include antiques, Americana and art from 64 dealers, the website said. See the event’s website, antiquesinmanchester.com,.

Thursday, Aug. 10

The Delta Dental/Elliot Corporate 5K Road Race starts today at 6:20 p.m. on a loop that starts at Stark and Elm streets and circles through the northern end of Manchester’s downtown to finish on Elm Street near Veterans Park, according to millenniumrunning.com, which said race-day registration was available at noon at the tent in Veterans Park (723 Elm St. in Manchester).

Saturday, Aug. 12

The Sunflower Bloom Festival hosted by Sun Fox Farm (sunfoxfarm.org) begins today and runs through Sunday, Aug. 20. Parking is available at NHTI (31 College Drive in Concord); bicycle and accessible parking is at 6 Loudon Road in Concord, according to sunfoxfarm.org, where you can purchase tickets for $10. The festival is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, when the festival will also feature vendors, food trucks and live music from New Hampshire Music Collective.

Saturday, Aug. 12

Catch the 1980 Dan Aykroyd/Jim Belushi movie The Blues Brotherstonight at 7 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org) followed by live music. The event is part of the final night of the Manchester International Film Festival and a $29 ticket to this event will get you in to most of the rest of the festival events. See page 17.

Wednesday, Aug. 16

Hey you guys! All three area Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com) will screen 1985’s classic The Goonies tonight at 7 p.m. Doors open an hour before showtime and during that time attendees can search for treasure boxes. Admission costs $5.99.

Save the Date! For Poutine!
The New Hampshire PoutineFest will take place on Saturday, Oct. 14, midday, at Anheuser-Busch Biergarten in Merrimack, but clear your schedule this Saturday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. when tickets go on sale at nhpoutinefest.com. Tickets cost $54.99 for general admission (with a 12:45 p.m. entry and a T-shirt as well as poutine samples from participating vendors, described as a “healthy scoop”), $74.99 for premiere (11:30 a.m. entry with a T-shirt, winter hat and the samples) and $14.99 for kids (ages 6 to 12, which includes two samples, a cookie and a shirt).

Featured photo: The 66th Annual New Hampshire Antiques Show.

Big Events August 3, 2023 and beyond

Saturday, Aug. 5

The annual celebration of fine craft that is the League of NH Craftsmen Fair starts today and runs through Sunday, Aug. 13, at Mount Sunapee in Newbury. The fair is open daily, rain or shine, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More than 200 craftsmen take part in the event, many offering demonstrations of their work, according to nhcrafts.org, the League’s website, where you can purchase tickets (general admission tickets cost $18, or $28 for a two-day pass). The fair also features music daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This weekend catch Decatur Creek (playing Americana, folk and bluegrass) on Saturday and Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki (pictured) with Matt Jensen playing Celtic fiddle and guitar on Sunday, the website said. The fair features a food vendor area, special daily events and workshops and a Fair Craft Clues’ Scavenger Hunt for kids as well as a Kids Create tent, according to a press release (children under 12 get in free).

Saturday, Aug. 5

The Merrimack Garden Club will hold its annual plant sale today from 8 a.m. to noon at St. James Church (646 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Merrimack). The sale will feature perennials, houseplants, a silent auction, a kids’ table, fresh cut flowers and a free pack of wildflower seeds.

Saturday, Aug. 5

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will unveil a mark today at 1 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry) to celebrate William Hobdy, a ragtime musician and the first known Black business owner in Derry, according to the organization’s newsletter. The day will include a pop-up museum and activities exploring Hobdy’s era with music, games and history, the newsletter said. The afternoon will culminate with a walk to the Derry Rail Trail to unveil the new marker at 1:45 p.m. and participants can have some ice cream, according to blackheritagetrailnh.org/derry-historic-marker-unveiling.

Saturday, Aug. 5

NH Roller Derby holds its season closer tonight, starting at 5 p.m. at JFK Coliseum (303 Beech St. in Manchester). Doors open at 4:30 p.m. The first bout is the NH All-Stars vs. Fog City. At 7 p.m. there will be an all-gender mixed scrimmage, according to nhrollerderby.com. Tickets cost $12 at the door (veterans and kids under 12 get in free).

Saturday, Aug. 5

Catch comedian Mark Scalia tonight at 8:30 p.m. at Headliner’s Comedy Club at the DoubleTree by Hilton in downtown Manchester. Tickets cost $20; see headlinersnh.com. Find more shows in our Comedy This Week listings on page 36.

Save the Date! Friday, Aug. 25, & Saturday, Aug. 26
The New Hampshire Irish Festival will run Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26, with shows at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester) and the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester) as well as outside, according to palacetheatre.org. Shows take place at the Palace at 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday and at the Rex at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 25 and 5 p.m. on Aug. 26. Tickets cost $49 (for each location and day). Seamus Kennedy, Reverie Road and The Spain Brothers are slated to play the Rex; Ronan Tynan, Screaming Orphans (pictured) and Derek Warfield and the Young Wolfe Tones are scheduled to play the Palace. The outdoor lineup: on Aug. 25 Speed the Plough at 5 p.m., Pat Kelleher at 6:15 p.m. and Marty Quirk at 7:30 p.m.; on Aug. 26 Pat Kelleher at noon, Christine Morrison’s Academy of Celtic Dance at 2 p.m., Matt and Shannon Heaton at 3:15 p.m. and Boston’s Erin Og at 4:30 p.m., according to the website.

Featured photo: Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki. Photo by Mark Meyers.

Big Events July 27, 2023 and beyond

Thursday, July 27

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats celebrate that classic Manchester food item, the chicken tender, at tonight’s game at 7:05 p.m. versus the Hartford Yard Goats. There will be Atlas Fireworks after the game. The run of games continues at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in downtown Manchester (7:05 p.m. on Friday and Saturday — Saturday will also feature post-game fireworks) through Sunday, July 30, when game time is 1:35 p.m. and the first 1,000 attendees will receive a Fisher Cats flag. See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Friday, July 28

The Nashua Silver Knights also have a game this week — tonight at 6 p.m. they will face off against the Westfield Starfires with post-game fireworks. See nashuasilverknights.com.

Friday, July 28

Ro Gavin Collaborative Theatre kicks off the final weekend of its production Big Fish at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com) with shows tonight at 7:30 p.m.; tomorrow, Saturday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, July 30, at 2 p.m. Find more theatrical productions in the Arts section, which starts on page 13.

Friday, July 28

Catch comedians Will Noonan and Andrew Della Vope tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $25. Find more laughs in the Comedy This Week listings on page 36.

Saturday, July 29

Browse sales of books and whatnots, enjoy a frappe bar and sausage grinders, participate in (or just cheer on) a 5K road race and watch an 11 a.m. performance by Mr. Aaron (pictured) at the Canterbury Fair today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at locations in Canterbury Center. The day will also feature live animal encounters and other activities for kids, Canterbury Historical Society exhibits, artisan demonstrations, a full schedule of live music and a wide variety of eats including a chicken barbecue. See canterburyfair.com.

Tuesday, Aug. 1

Author Richard Russo will discuss his new book Somebody’s Fool tonight at 7 p.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets cost $39 for one admission, $49 for two admissions and include a book. Find more book listings on page 29.

Save the Date! Thursday, Aug. 10
The Manchester International Film Festival returns for its second year on Thursday, Aug. 10, through Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) and the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester). The festival kicks off with Animation Night at 6 p.m. on Aug. 10 at the Rex with screenings of animated shorts, an animated student film, a feature film, a Q&A with filmmakers and a presentation of an “Emerging New Hampshire Animator” award, according to the Palace’s website. Friday, Aug. 11, is New England Night and Comedy Night with a screening of the short Nuclear! (see the trailer at gonfalonpictures.com/nuclear), a post-film Q&A, a feature film billed as a “Manchester premiere,” a Q&A with filmmakers and the presentation of “Best New England Short Film” award, the website said. At the Rex, the Saturday, Aug. 12, line up will include a Cartoon Festival with Cereal, short films, a feature presentation and an audience choice film, the website said. Tickets cost $20 ($10 for students) to each day. Call the box office for more ticket info.

At the Palace Theatre on Aug. 12, catch actor and comedian Kevin Pollack at 7:30 p.m. for “An Evening with Kevin Pollack.” Tickets to this event cost $59 to $79 (VIP tickets include a 6:45 p.m. meet and greet) and include a weekend pass to the rest of the festival.

Featured photo: Mr. Aaron.

Big Events July 20, 2023 and beyond

Thursday, July 20

Finally, today, we have reached “Barbenheimer” — the potential for a double feature with Greta Gerwig’s very pink movie Barbie (clocking in at an hour and 54 minutes) and Christopher Nolan’s Manhattan Project-era biopic Oppenheimer (three hours). Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org) sent out a press release explaining some of its Barbenheimer opportunities starting with today’s 4 p.m. screening of Barbie and 6 p.m. screening of Oppenheimer. On Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22, you can catch Barbie at 4:15 p.m. and Oppenheimer at 6:30 p.m. Or wait until Sunday, July 23, when you can see Oppenheimer at 12:30 p.m. and Barbie 4:15 p.m. See the website (or our film section on page 30) for more screening times.

Thursday, July 20

Catch the first show in two weekends of Shakespeare under the stars at “Shakespeare on the Green” featuring Macbeth tonight through Saturday, July 22, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream Thursday, July 27, through Saturday, July 29, with all shows at 7:30 p.m., according to a press release. The plays, presented by Theatre Kapow (tkapow.com), will take place on Founder’s Green outside the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $25 for general seating; ages 12 and under get in free. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, coolers and snacks, according to the website.

Friday, July 21

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn — the “rebel girl” who helped found the American Civil Liberties Union, eventually joined the U.S. Communist Party, died in 1964 (while in the U.S.S.R.) and was the focal point of controversy this year when a historical plaque about her was briefly displayed in Concord — is the subject of a presentation from New Hampshire Humanities this evening at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Lara Vapnek, author of a book about Flynn, will give the presentation. Register via nhhumanities.org (click on “programs”).

Friday, July 21

Kick off the weekend with Jon Pond — a singer-songwriter and musician who is a co-founder of Spare Souls — at the Millyard Brewery (25 E. Otterson St. in Nashua; millyardbrewery.com) tonight from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (Go to sparesouls.com for a preview of the music). The “funky, high-energy psych rock band” Fiesta Melon will play Millyard Saturday, July 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. Find more live music at area in the Music This Week listings, which start on page 32.

Saturday, July 22

Catch the band Horizon, which plays classic and modern rock covers, at the Event Center at Hampshire Hills (50 Emerson Road in Milford) tonight with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show starting at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available at hampshirehills.com (click on “events”). Find more area concerts on page 36.

Tuesday, July 25

After a run of games in Portland, Maine, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats return to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium for six games versus the Hartford Yard Goats starting tonight at 7:05 p.m. See milb.com/new-hampshire.

Save the Date! Saturday, Aug. 5
The League of NH Craftsmen kicks off its 90th annual Craftsmen’s Fair on Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury. It is open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Sunday, Aug. 13. The fair will feature the Art, Craft & Design and Sculpture Garden exhibitions as well as artist demonstrations, live music, workshops, a “Craft Clues” Scavenger Hunt, a “Kids Create” tent, food and more, according to a press release. Tickets cost $18 for general admission, $28 for a two-day pass, $17 for 62+, and kids under 12 get in free. See nhcrafts.org.

Featured photo: Barbie.