Category: This Week

Big Events November 3, 2022 and beyond

Thursday, Nov. 3

Join MANIA the ABBA tribute band at the Chubb Theatre (44 Main St., Concord) today. The doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. The group has been performing the hits of ABBA since 1999 around the world and is bringing them back to Concord. Tickets start at $39 and can be purchased at ccanh.org.

Friday, Nov. 4

Comedian Paul D’Angelo, a former assistant district attorney and criminal-defense trial attorney who worked in courtrooms by day while honing his comedy craft at night, will perform tonight at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org.

Saturday, Nov. 5

The Downtown Concord Winter Farmers Market opens for the season today at 9 a.m. behind the clock tower at Eagle Square. The lineup for the vendors at the market includes artisan bakeries, fresh winter produce, handmade soaps and more. Visit dcwfm.squarespace.com for more information.

Sunday, Nov. 6

The 35th anniversary of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (R, 1987) has the movie back today and Monday, Nov. 7, at AMC Londonderry, O’neil Cinemas in Epping and Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem. The movie follows business executive Neal Page, played by Steve Martin, as he tries to make it home to Chicago after a mix-up lands him in Wichita. He teams up with a salesman, played by John Candy, to try to make it home for Thanksgiving. For showtimes and locations, visit fathomevents.com.

Tuesday Nov. 8

See singer-songwriter Richard Marx at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry) tonight at 8 p.m. The Grammy Award winning artist is the only artist to have had seven singles reach the Top 5 on the Billboard charts, and has written songs for himself and for Keith U

Save the date! Sunday, Nov. 13
The Manchester City Marathon is back today with bib pickup time at 7:30 a.m. The starting line is at Veterans Park in downtown Manchester and the race will begin at 8:50 a.m. Registration for the marathon costs $110 and runners must register in advance. There are also virtual options and shorter races available for people to run in. Register at millenniumrunning.com/marathon.

Featured photo. MANIA the ABBA Tribute Band. Courtesy photo.

Big Events October 27, 2022 and beyond

Thursday, Oct. 27

The Witch of Weston Tower will haunt McIntyre Ski Area (50 Chalet Ct., Manchester) today through Sunday, Oct. 30. Take a scenic chairlift ride to the summit of McIntyre Ski Area and travel the treacherous trail to the Witch of Weston Tower to see some of “the most spooktacular views of Manchester,” according to a press release. On Saturday, there will be Trunk-Or-Treating, a costume contest and more. The cost for lift ride and the witch is $20 for ages 13 and up, $10 for ages 6 to 12, and free for kids 5 and under. Bring money for food trucks, face and pumpkin painting, live music and more. Visit mcintyreskiarea.com.

Friday, Oct. 28

Tonight is the Halloween Howl in downtown Concord. The event runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Main Street and feature community trick-or-treating along Main Street with a “Not so Scary” dance party with Nazzy, costume contests, games and family activities. Visit intownconcord.org or see the listings starting on page 11 in last week’s issue, which includes Halloween fun for all ages.

Saturday, Oct. 29

The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival returns to downtown Laconia today, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The one-day street festival celebrates all things pumpkin. Attendees can enjoy live music, a “pumpkin palooza” cornhole tournament and a craft and artisan show. For the kids there will be a climbing wall, face-painting, pumpkin bowling, a costume parade, jack-o’-lantern lighting and more. Visit nhpumpkinfestival.com.

Saturday, Oct. 29

The Wilton Main Street Association will hold its The Haunting of Wilton today. The event kicks off with scary stories at the Wilton Library at 11 a.m., followed by a costume parade down Main Street at noon, trick-or-treating with downtown merchants from 1 to 2 p.m., a murder mystery clue game with downtown merchants from 2 to 3 p.m., and a costume dance in Main Street Park with a DJ and more. See visitwilton.com.

Sunday, Oct. 30

Spend Halloween Eve at Spooky World Presents: Nightmare New England, which is open this weekend Thursday, Oct. 27, and Friday, Oct. 28, with available times starting at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 29, and today, Oct. 30, with available times starting at 6 p.m., and tomorrow, actual Halloween, with times starting at 7 p.m. See nightmarenewengland.com for ticket information. Find out about what it’s like to be one of the actors serving up scares at a haunted house in Katelyn Sahagian’s story in the Oct. 20 issue of the Hippo, where you can also find information about other area haunted attractions. Find the e-edition at hippopress.com and the story on page 10.

Wednesday, Nov. 2

Winemaker Amy LaBelle is hosting a decorative focaccia making class at LaBelle Winery (14 Route 111, Derry) today at 6 p.m. Learn how to make focaccia dough from scratch and how to use vegetables and herbs to create a piece of delicious edible artwork. Tickets cost $45 and can be purchased on LaBelle’s website labellewinery.com.

Save the date! Nov. 12, Salute our Soldiers Gala
The 11th annual Salute our Soldiers gala will be held in person on Nov. 12 at the Sky Meadow Country Club (6 Mountain Laurels Drive in Nashua) beginning at 5 p.m. The gala recognizes and celebrates the contribution of women in the United States military. The gala, which has been virtual since 2019, will have a cocktail reception and a surf and turf dinner, an address by Catherine Smart, a policy analyst with Applied Research Associates and veteran of the United States Army Military Police, and entertainment by nationally recognized singer and impressionist Tony Pace. Individual tickets cost $200 and a table for up to 10 people costs $2000. To purchase tickets or to learn more about this event, visit VetsCount.org/nh/nashua-gala-2022.

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

Big Events October 20, 2022 and beyond

Saturday, Oct. 22
Manchester native and Central High School graduate Adam Sandler returns to the Queen City for a show tonght at the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester; 644-5000, www.snhuarena.com) at 7:30 p.m., doors open at 6:30 p.m. Sandler’s Manchester appearance is part of a fall tour, according to the arena website where, on Tuesday, Oct. 18, available tickets started at $75 plus fees.

Thursday, Oct. 20
Gather at the Concord High School auditorium (170 Warren St.) to hear the Marine Band National Concert Tour, a free concert being offered tonight at 7:30 p.m. The band, which according to its website is America’s oldest continually active professional musical organization, will play traditional band repertoire and marches as well as instrumental solos. Up to four tickets for this event can be reserved at marineband.ticketleap.com/concordnh22.

Thursday, Oct. 20
The Dropkick Murphys are playing the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) tonight at 7:15 p.m. Tickets begin at $39.50 plus fees.

Saturday, Oct. 22
Join Woodman Museum for voices from the cemetery today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pine Hill Cemetery (131 Central Ave., Dover). The event is a guided tour of the cemetery that will introduce local historical figures, like the first Dover woman to climb Mt. Washington. The event costs $20 for adults and $10 for children. Purchase tickets at woodmanmuseum.org.

Saturday, Oct. 22 Learn about the Celtic holiday that came before Halloween at Celebrate Samhain today at Doubletree Hilton in Nashua (2 Somerset Parkway) beginning at 10 a.m. The festival will ha ve authors of popular wicca and pagan books speaking, divination readings, live music, vendors selling witchy goods, and more. Tickets are $10 and can be bought at celebratesamhain.com.

Wednesday, Oct. 26
The lecture “Turkey, the Cradle of Civilization” is happening today at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St.) at 7:30 p.m. The event will feature Marlin Darrah, who is known as the world’s most traveled filmmaker, and show the 8,000 years of Turkish history, art, architecture and archeology. Darrah will be taking questions after the lecture. This event is free to attend.

Save the date! Saturday, Oct. 29
The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival is back in Laconia to spread fall festivities beginning at 9 a.m. with the 5K/10K at Opechee Park. The day will feature events ranging from a craft and artisan show, Hanover Street happenings with axe throwing, pumpkin bowling, face painting and more, as well as historic train rides and showings of Halloween movies. The jack-o’-lantern lighting starts at 4:45 p.m. Visit nhpumpkinfestival.com for a full list and itinerary of events.

Featured photo. Next to Normal. Courtesy photo.

Big Events October 13, 2022 and beyond

Friday, Oct. 14

Majestic Theatre is putting on a limited production of Next to Normal starting tonight at 7 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry) The show follows the life of a normal suburban family as they deal with mental illness, loss and family trauma. Because of the adult themes in the show, the Majestic said that the show isn’t recommended for audience members younger than 17. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for seniors. Visit majestictheatre.net to purchase tickets.

Saturday, Oct. 15

The 25th anniversary of the Aviation Museum is today, with a celebratory fundraising gala from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Executive Court Banquet Hall (1199 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester). The gala will have a gourmet dinner, the 18-piece Bedford Big Band, auction items, raffle prizes and more. Individual tickets cost $75; a table of eight costs $500. Reserve tickets at aviationmuseumofnh.org.

Sunday, Oct. 16

The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra opens its 118th year with an orchestral showcase, “Nature & Myth,” featuring music by Beethoven, Walker, Grieg and Sibelius, today at 2 p.m. at the Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem). The showcase will also run on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $8 for kids. Visit nhphil.org to purchase tickets.

Tuesday, Oct. 18

The Canterbury Village is holding a showing of the movie Holy Ground tonight at the Peterborough Community Theatre (6 School St.) at 7 p.m. The movie explores the history of the Shakers, a religious group that spanned from Maine to Kentucky. Tickets for the event are free and popcorn and wine will be included for the showing. After the showing, local author Howard Mansfield will read from his book Chasing Eden. Contact Rae Easter at [email protected] to reserve tickets.

Wednesday, Oct. 19

Jeff Belanger is telling ghost stories from across New England at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway) tonight at 7 p.m. Belanger, an author known for writing about the paranormal, UFOs, folklore, ledged and ghosts, is a host on the Emmy-nominated series New England Legends and is a co-host on the New England Legends podcast. Tickets can be reserved through the Derry Public Library at derrypl.org.

Save the date! Thursday, Nov. 3
The ninth annual Distiller’s Showcase is on Thursday, Nov. 3, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton (700 Elm St, Manchester). The showcase will have dozens of distillers from across the country and around the world. It’s part of New Hampshire Distiller’s Week, which begins on Nov. 1. Tickets to the showcase start at $60. For more information about the Distiller’s Showcase and more events happening during Distiller’s Week, visit distillersshowcase.com.

Featured photo. Next to Normal. Courtesy photo.

Big Events October 6, 2022 and beyond

Thursday, Oct. 6

The 20th annual New Hampshire Film Festival kicks off today and runs through Sunday, Oct. 9, at several locations around Portsmouth including the Music Hall, the Lounge, the Press Room, St. John’s Church and 3S Artspace. Today’s events include a screening of God’s Country, which stars Thandiwe Newton, at 7:15 p.m. at the Music Hall, as well as several NH Shorts blocks. Festival day passes are available ($30 for Thursday and $50 for each day afterward) or you can buy a pass to the entire four-day event, which in addition to the screenings of features and shorts features panels and other happenings. See the full schedule and buy tickets at nhfilmfestival.com.

Friday, Oct. 7

The Milford Rotary and Lions Clubs are once again working on presenting a lineup of vendors for two nights of beer, wine and spirits tastings during the annual Milford Pumpkin Festival, on Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday, Oct. 8, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the Community House Lawn (Union Street, Milford). More than a dozen local and regional brewers, distillers and other beverage purveyors will be pouring samples of their offerings throughout each evening. Returning vendors will include Steadfast Spirits Distilling Co. of Concord and Averill House Vineyard of Brookline, and there are also a few newcomers to the festival, like Long Blue Cat Brewing Co. of Londonderry, Liquid Therapy of Nashua, Canteen Spirits and Buena Gave Canned Cocktails. The cost is $20 per person for 10 tasting tickets, and each ticket holder also receives a commemorative glass — tickets are redeemable for a three-ounce beer sample, a one-ounce wine sample or a ¼-ounce spirit sample. Visit milfordpumpkinfestival.org/bws-tent.

Saturday, Oct. 8

The Nashua Historical Society will hold an exhibit of 150 years of Nashua bridal fashion today and tomorrow (Sunday, Oct. 9) from 1 to 4 p.m. at Abbot-Spalding House (5 Abbott St. in Nashua). Admission costs up to $12 per person.

Saturday, Oct. 8

The Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) hosts “An evening with Paula Cole” tonight at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $55 plus fees. Known for hits “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait,” Cole released the album American Quilt in 2021 and in September 2022 a two-song collection with Jason Isobell and John Paul White called For the Birds.

Wednesday, Oct. 12

Chunky’s Cinema Pubs (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com ) will hold a 21+ screening of Clue (1985) at 7:30 p.m. tonight. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and attendees are encouraged to bring board games to play in the hour before the movie starts. Tickets cost $5.99 (you know, one plus two plus one plus one … plus .99).

Save the date! Saturdays, Oct. 15, and Oct. 22
The Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakers.org) will host 5K cross-country races that are part of the Delta Dental XC Series on the Shaker Village grounds, according to a press release. Registration costs $25.

Featured photo. Milford Pumpkin Festival. Courtesy photo.

Big Events September 29, 2022 and beyond

Friday, Sept. 30

Public speaker, author, center of the Netflix docuseries Pretend It’s a City and occasional Law & Order judge Fran Lebowitz will appear at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $45 to $65, plus fees.

Saturday, Oct. 1

Everything apple is celebrated at the Sullivan Farm (70 Colburn Ave., Nashua) today and Sunday, Oct. 2, for the annual Applefest. There will be hayrides, pony rides, apple pie, crafts, games and more for the whole family to enjoy. Tickets are priced at $1, and various things cost a different number of tickets — a hayride is three tickets, and a game is one ticket, for example. Visit nne.salvationarmy.org/nashua/applefest for more information.

Saturday, Oct. 1

The latest show by Symphony New Hampshire is “Winds of Time,” with performances today at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center in Nashua (117 Elm St, Nashua) and on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m. at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord). The concert will feature Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 4, Du Puy’s Quintet for Bassoon and Strings in A minor III, Weber’s Clarinet Concertino in E-flat and Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings. Tickets cost $10 for youth from 13 to 17 years old and for full-time students ages 29 and younger, $20 to $60 for adults 18 and older, and $18 to $55 for seniors ages 65 and older. Visit symphonynh.org to order tickets.

Sunday, Oct. 2

The family fun event Toscana Fest is back today at the Tuscan Village (Route 28, Salem). The festival starts at 10 a.m. and will have pumpkin painting, gelato, carnival games, live music, popcorn and raffles with all proceeds going to the Lazarus House Ministries. More information can be found at tuscanvillagesalem.com.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

The YMCA of Downtown Manchester is starting up the second year of its Chess Club, with the first meeting today at 6:30 p.m. The club welcomes everyone at all ages and skill levels to come and practice and learn more about the game of chess. The group meets every Tuesday night. October will be a month of practice and training, and throughout November and December there will be competitions both within the club and outside of it. For more information, contact Kathy Raiche-Stephens at [email protected].

Tuesday, Oct. 4

Renowned legal scholar, civil rights advocate and former judge Margaret A. Burnham is coming to the Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St., Portsmouth) today to present her book By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executions. The book event will start at 7 p.m. Ticket cost $47 and include a signed copy of Burnham’s book. Tickets can be purchased at themusichall.org.

Save the date! Saturday, Oct. 8
The Warner Fall Foliage Festival is back for the 75th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 8, and Sunday, Oct. 9, when there will be live music and entertainment, a kids’ fun run, a 5k for adults, an ice cream eating contest, and vendors selling homemade goods from fruit jams to handmade wax candles. Visit wfff.org for more information or to register for the races.

Featured photo. The Flying Gravity Circus. Courtesy photo.