Category: This Week

Big Events October 14, 2021 and beyond

Friday, Oct. 15

It’s a big weekend for local theater with two plays on the schedule up in Concord. Catch the Community Players of Concord’s presentation of Barefoot in the Park, the play by Neil Simon, at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St). The shows are tonight and tomorrow, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $18 for youth and seniors; see communityplayersofconcord.org. And beginning a two-weekend run at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) is American Son, a play by Christopher Demos-Brown. Tonight’s show is at 7:30 p.m., as are shows on Oct. 16, Oct. 22 and Oct. 23. Sunday shows (Oct. 17 and Oct. 24) are at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22, $19 for students and seniors.

Friday, Oct. 15

Today is also the kickoff of a multi-week run of Mamma Mia!, the ABBA musical, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588). Tonight’s show is at 7:30 p.m. The play runs through Nov. 14 with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and noon and 5 p.m. on Sundays (most weeks). There will also be Thursday shows on Oct. 28 and Nov. 11. Tickets cost $25 to $46. And if you can’t get enough ABBA, head to the Capitol Center for the Arts (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com, 225-1111) on Wednesday, Oct. 20, for ABBA the Concert, a tribute concert to the Swedish pop group, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $29.50 to $49.50 (plus fees).

Saturday, Oct. 16

The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra will begin its new season with a show “From Darkness to Hope” presented tonight at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. at Seifert Performing Arts Center at Salem High School (44 Geremonty Dr. in Salem). The concerts will include performances of music by Beethoven, Samuel Barber and Tchaikovsky and will be conducted by Mark Latham. Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $8 for students and $5 for Salem K-12 students. A livestream pass for $15 is also available for Sunday’s show.

Saturday, Oct. 16

Giant pumpkins! Seaworthy pumpkins! Falling pumpkins! The Goffstown Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off and Regatta has all sorts of pumpkin entertainment planned for this weekend, starting today and continuing through tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 17, when the actual regatta of pumpkin watercraft will hit the Piscataquog River at 3 p.m. See the weigh-off of the giant gourds today at 10:30 a.m. at the Common in Goffstown. The day will also include vendors and demonstrations, a doggie costume contest (at 10 a.m.) and fireworks (at dusk). Find out more in Angie Sykeny’s story on page 12 in last week’s (Oct. 7) issue of the Hippo; find the e-edition at hippopress.com.

Save the Date! For wine in November

The Lakes Region Uncorked will be held at Church Landing at Mill Falls (281 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith) on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m. and feature tastings from more than a dozen area craft breweries and wineries as well as food, a silent auction, music and more. General admission costs $50; a premier ticket (which includes a celebrity chef cooking demonstration) costs $90. See lakesregionuncorked.com. The Chase Home’s 7th Annual Wine & Chocolate Tasting fundraiser will be held Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club (135 Congress St. in Portsmouth). The event will run from 6 to 9 p.m. and feature food, a live and silent auction and more. Tickets cost $75; see chasehome.org.

Featured photo: Giant Pumpkin Regatta. Courtesy photo.

Big Events October 8, 2021 and beyond

Friday, Oct. 8

The Milford Pumpkin Festival has all kinds of gourd-ertainment planned (see the story about the event on page 10) including live music. Tonight, catch Shawna Deeley, Kayla Helmig, Tony Patterson, Macy Rae, Nick Zumbo and Drewosity all on the Oval Stage starting at 5 p.m. followed by Murphy Clark Band at 7:15 p.m. On the Community House Lawn Stage, catch 13 Steps (5:30 p.m) and Up Chuck Kreek (7:30 p.m.). On Saturday, 14 acts are scheduled to play on two stages from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. including Swipe Left (5:30 p.m.) and Tumbletoads (7:30 p.m.) on the Community House Lawn Stage and Russell Hill (5:30 p.m.) and Ballou Brothers (7:30 p.m.) on the Oval Stage. On Sunday, the music runs from around 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both stages. Also on the schedule is Justin Cohn, slated to play Saturday at 10 a.m. on the Oval Stage. Justin was one of the artists featured in Michael Witthaus’s Sept. 30 story rounding up New Hampshire artists nominated for a New England Music Award. Cohn is nominated in the “Best in State” category (find the e-edition at hippopress.com; the story starts on page 32)

Saturday, Oct. 9

Oktoberfest celebrations continue this weekend with Bektash Shriners of New Hampshire’s Oktoberfest today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Bektash Shrine Center (189 Pembroke Road in Concord; bektashshriners.org). The event will feature bratwurst, pretzels and more; call 225-5372 to RSVP. Find more Oktoberfest fun in Matt Ingersoll’s story about the celebration of German beer and eats in the Sept. 23 issue of the Hippo (find the e-edition at hippopress.com; the story starts on page 18).

Saturday, Oct. 9

Work up an appetite for the brews and eats at the Oktoberfest 5K beginning and ending at the Backyard Brewery & Kitchen in Manchester today at 9 a.m. Onsite, same-day registration starts at 7:30 a.m. or register in advance at millenniumrunning.com/oktoberfest. The fees are $30 for racers age 21 and over; $20 for racers 20 and younger.

Saturday, Oct. 9

Symphony New Hampshire kicks off its 2021-2022 season with a concert tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St. in Nashua). See symphonynh.org for tickets and for safety rules. The evening will feature Frank Ticheli’s “Rest,” Mozart’s “Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds” and the concert chamber orchestra suite of Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Roger Kalia will conduct.

Wednesday, Oct. 13

If the snap of fall weather and the return of the The Great British Baking Show has inspired you to hold your own Bread Week, check out the Decorative Focaccia Bread cooking class tonight at 6 p.m. at LaBelle Winery (14 Route 111 in Derry; labellewinery.com, 672-9898). The class costs $49.05; reserve a spot in advance online.

Save the Date! Oct. 15

Mamma Mia!, the joyful ABBA jukebox musical, will kick off a multi-week run at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Oct. 15, with opening night show at 7:30 p.m. The show will run Fridays (7:30 p.m.), Saturdays (2 and 7:30 p.m.) and Sundays (noon and 5 p.m., most weeks) through Sunday, Nov. 14, with Thursday shows on Oct. 28 and Nov. 11. Tickets run $25 to $46.

Featured photo: Symphony New Hampshire. Courtesy photo.

Big Events September 30, 2021 and beyond

Thursday, Sept. 30

The Deerfield Fair kicks off today and runs through Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Deerfield Fairgrounds (34 Stage Road). The fair is open today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for adults (kids 12 and under get in for free). Today’s schedule includes a super pumpkin/squash weigh-off at 6 p.m. The fair also features daily animal shows and demonstrations, amusement park rides, music and other performances on five stages as well as strolling performers. Find the schedule, directions and a map of the fairgrounds at deerfieldfair.com.

Thursday, Sept. 30

Head to the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org) today from 5 to 8 p.m. for the weekly Art After Work program, when admission to the museum is free and you can catch a live musical performance (this week it’s Lauren Miller). Today’s exhibition tour will focus on “WPA in NH: Philip Guston and Musa McKim,” a two-piece exhibit that opened on Sept. 16.

Friday, Oct. 1

Described as “two men, twenty characters, satirical comedy ‘guaranteed,’” Greater Tuna opens today at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com). Today’s show is at 7:30 p.m.; shows continue through Oct. 10 with shows on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults.

Saturday, Oct. 2

It’s another big weekend for food fests. Matt Ingersoll looks at the Applefest in Nashua and the Powder Keg Beer Fest in Exeter in the food section (see page 18 in this week’s paper) and in last week’s issue about Oktoberfest listed several celebrations of German food and beer this weekend (go to hippopress.com to find the e-edition; the story starts on page 18 in last week’s paper). And for even more apple fun, head to Apple Harvest Day in downtown Dover today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The day includes a 5K, live music at two stages, an apple pie contest, two food courts and more, according to dovernh.org/apple-harvest-day.

Saturday, Oct. 230

Do a little shopping at Henniker Handmade & Homegrown, which runs today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Henniker Community Center Park (57 Main St.). Find artisans, farmers and food makers selling their goods — everything from jewelry and birdhouses to sausage subs and candied apples, according to a press release. The day will also feature live music from Walker Smith, The Complete Unknowns and Beechwood.

Saturday, Oct. 2

Richard Dowling kicks off the Concord Community Concert Association’s season with a performance of “The World’s Greatest Piano Masterpieces” today at 7:30 p.m. at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St. in Concord; 344-4747, ccca-audi.org). Tickets cost $20 at the door or $23 online.

Save the Date! Oct. 7

Some Halloween-themed movies to look forward to: Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; 224-4600, redrivertheatres.org) will host a scary film series Thursdays in October starting on Thursday, Oct. 7, with George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). Other films include William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill (1959, starring Vincent Price) on Oct. 14; Frenzy (1972), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, on Oct. 21, and John Carpenter’s The Thing on Oct. 28. Films start at 7 p.m.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Big Events September 24, 2021 and beyond

Friday, Sept. 24

The Capital Arts Fest runs today through Sunday, Sept. 26, at various locations in the Concord area. See our story on page 10.

The Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; 783-9511, shakers.org) is holding its Canterbury Artisan Festival on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with handcrafted works for sale, demonstrations and a line-up of live music (Badger’s Drift at 10 a.m., Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki at noon, Doc and Liz at 2 p.m. and Doug Hazard at 4 p.m.). Tickets cost $12 for adults (admission is free for everyone under age 25), according to the website.

Saturday, Sept. 25, the Gratitude Music Festival, a multiperformance series of concerts honoring first responders and frontline workers, will start at 1 p.m. with Neighbor followed by Carsie Blanton at 3:30 p.m. and Anderson East at 8 p.m. See themusichall.org for tickets to individual shows or a $90 day pass.

On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26, the Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road in Hollis; 465-7787, beaverbrook.org) will hold its 40th annual Fall Festival and Nature Art Show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to the art, find live performances, baked goods and dried flowers for sale, a raffle, a silent auction, an angora spinning demo and events geared toward kids, according to the website.

Saturday, Sept. 25

There are also some food-centered celebrations this weekend. Today, the Winchester Pickle Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. on Main Street with local vendors, live music, a chainsaw wood carving demo, pictures with Mr. Pickle and, of course, pickles — free on the Town Hall lawn until they’re gone, according to winchesternhpicklefestival.org, where you can find a full listing of events.

Also today, Tuscan Market (9 Via Toscana in Salem; tuscanbrands.com) will hold its Passeggiata: Walk of Wine featuring more than 40 wines for tasting as well as appetizers from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $30, according to the website.

Black Bear Vineyard & Winery (289 New Road in Salisbury; blackbearvineyard.com) will hold is Harvest Weekend today and Sunday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 5 p.m., with live music outdoors, an opportunity to learn how grapes become wine, food trucks and more, according to the winery’s Facebook page (which recommends bringing your own chairs).

Sunday, Sept. 26

The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum and the Nature Discovery Center of Warner (18 Highlawn Road in Warner; museum is at indianmuseum.org and 456-2600, center is ndcnh.org and 822-2334) will hold a Harvest Moon and Nature Fest today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will include Native foods made from Three Sisters, bison and other local ingredients according to a press release. The day will also feature craft demonstrations (for basket weaving, beading, leather work and dream catchers), tomahawk throwing and a guided walk through the Medicine Woods, the release said. The New Hampshire Audubon Center will also bring live raptors for a “Raptor Rapture” presentation. Admission costs $10 for adults, $5 for children and a maximum of $30 per family.

Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 3

Head to LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101 in Amherst; labellewinery.com) on Sunday, Oct. 3, for the fourth in their “Walks in the Vineyard” series, this one focusing on harvest. Learn about the grapes grown at LaBelle and the wine making process. Tickets cost $27.25 and the event runs from 11 a.m. to noon.

Featured photo: Raptors include this Barn Owl at a previous Harvest Moon and Naturefest. Courtesy photo.

Big Events September 16, 2021 and beyond

Thursday, Sept. 16

Barring Covid-cancellations, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will have their final regular season run of home games at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive in downtown Manchester; nhfishercats.com) against the Harrisburg Senators. As of Sept. 13, the Sept. 14 game was canceled but the Fisher Cats are scheduled to play nightly at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, through Saturday, Sept. 18, and then a 1:35 p.m. game on Sunday, Sept. 19. Tonight’s game features the first of two winter hat giveaways (also at Sunday’s game). Friday’s and Saturday’s games will feature post-game fireworks.

Friday, Sept. 17

See TLC on their Crazy Sexy Cool Tour 2021 with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane in Gilford; 293-4700, banknhpavilion.com). Tickets start at $18.75 on the lawn.

Saturday, Sept. 18

After sitting out 2020, GraniteCon, the Granite State Comicon 2021, returns today and tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 19) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (at 700 Elm St.). Admission costs $25 on Saturday, $20 on Sunday or $40 for a weekend pass. Meet comic book creators and entertainment guests, take part in the costume contest, check out the vendors and more. See last week’s issue of the Hippo (find the e-edition on hippopress.com) for our story about the event on page 24 and go to granitecon.com to see an event program.

Saturday, Sept. 18

Today is the second to last Concord Arts Market of the season. It will run 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rollins Park, 33 Bow St. in Concord. See concordartsmarket.net for a list of vendors.

Sunday, Sept. 19

It’s a big weekend for food festivals: Glendi in Manchester, the Concord Multicultural Festival, the Egyptian Food Festival in Nashua. Find details about all of those events on page 28. Here’s another to add to the schedule: Oysterfest, held today from noon to 5 p.m. at Stone Church (5 Granite St. in Newmarket; stonechurchrocks.com). The event will feature craft beer offerings, as well as oysters from three local oyster farms and live music.

Tuesday, Sept. 21

Check out a couple of cult films this week at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). Hedwig and the Angry Inch (R, 2001) screens tonight at 7 p.m. John Water’s Serial Mom(R, 1994) screens tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets to either show cost $12 each, with a portion of the proceeds going to Motley Mutts Rescue, according to the website.

Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 23

Tickets go on sale this weekend for the New Hampshire Poutinefest Spooktacular, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Anheuser-Busch Tour Center & Biergarten (221 DW Highway in Merrimack). Enjoy a variety of competing poutine dishes as well as craft beer, games, activities for kids and more. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Sept. 18, and cost $39.99 for general admission (gates at the event open at 12:45 p.m.), $49.99 for VIP admission (which includes a 11:30 a.m. entry time), $14.99 for kids age 6 to 12 with sampling and free for kids who aren’t sampling or are under 6. See nhpoutinefestspooktacular.eventbrite.com.

Featured photo: The Massachusetts Ghostbusters are heading to Granite State Comicon. Courtesy photo.

Big Events September 9, 2021 and beyond

Thursday, Sept. 9

The Concord Historical Society will hold the lecture “The Concord Gas Holder: Its history and its future” today at 7 p.m. at the Carriage House at the Kimball-Jenkins Estate (266 N. State St. in Concord).

Friday, Sept. 10

Find agricultural exhibits and shows, live music, games, rides and more at the Hillsborough County Agricultural Fair, which will start today and run through Sunday, Sept. 12, at 17 Hilldale Lane in New Boston. Gates open at noon today and at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The midway rides at 3 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, the fair will close out the day with fireworks at 9 p.m. The live music lineup includes Dan Morgan (Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at noon), The Bob Pratte Band (with shows at 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday) and Johnnie Bubar (at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday), according to hcafair.org, where you can find a complete schedule of all the happenings.

Friday, Sept. 10

Queen of the Night, a show in tribute to Whitney Houston, begins its run at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) tonight with a show at 7:30 p.m. Shows continue this weekend: 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and noon and 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12. Tickets cost $39 to $46 ($25 for children). The show runs Fridays through Sundays through Sept. 26.

Saturday, Sept. 11

The 9th annual NH Monarch Festival runs today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Petals in the Pines (126 Baptist Road in Canterbury; petalsinthepines.com, 783-0220). Admission is free for kids with a suggested donation of $5 per adult. The event will feature games, activities and displays offering education about monarch butterflies and their migration.

Tuesday, Sept. 14

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats begin their final regular season run of home games at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive in downtown Manchester; nhfishercats.com) for this season today with a game at 6:35 p.m. against the Harrisburg Senators. The Fisher Cats have games nightly at 6:35 p.m. through Saturday, Sept. 18, and then a game at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 19.

Save the Date! Saturday, Sept. 25

The Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities) will present Cirque-tacular, a production featuring aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, illusionists, trapeze artists and fire performers, on Saturday, Sept. 25, with shows at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. according to the website. Tickets cost $45.

Featured photo: Cirque-tacular. Courtesy photo.