Category: Visual Arts

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Shop art: Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St. in Contoocook; twovillagesart.org) will display its Holiday Art Show and Sale from Friday, Nov. 25, through Saturday, Dec. 24, featuring handmade gifts by local artists, including paintings, pottery, mixed media, photography, fabric art and more. A show reception will be held Saturday, Nov. 26, from noon to 2 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m.

• Music and melodies: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakers.org, 783-9511) will host Concert & Cocktails, featuring a holiday string quartet from Symphony NH, on Saturday, Dec. 3, at 4 p.m. The event will include a festive reception with farm-grown appetizers by the Rustic Gourmet and a signature cocktail by Cold Garden Distillery, according to a press release. Tickets cost $75. The show is the first of several Merry Merry Canterbury events; see the website.

• Snaps for the Cap: Legally Blonde The Musical will come to the Capitol Center for the Arts (Chubb Theatre, 44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Thursday, Dec. 1. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $65 (plus fees).

• Make your own crafts: And before we get to the craft fairs, Studio 550 Community Art Center (550 Elm St. in Manchester; 232-5597, 550arts.com) offer the opportunity to make your own gifts on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 26). From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Studio 550 will host “a buffet of drop-in workshops,” according to a press release. The projects will range in price from $15 to $35 and all ages are welcome (with adult assistance), the release said. Stations will include a milk & cookies cup and plate set, a custom mug, large decorative paper snowflakes, winter fairy houses, treasure boxes, paint your own pottery, paint your own ornaments, succulent plant arrangements and pottery on the wheel (with pre-registration), the release said. The day will also feature a $1 pottery sale, live maker demos of stained glass and pottery, prizes for the first 10 shoppers and more, the release said.

Kids can make crafts at the Loon Preservation Committee’s open house at the Loon Center in Moultonborough (see loon.org, 476-5666) on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free event will include horse-drawn hay rides, balloon animals and a visit from Santa along with the crafts for kids and a sale at the Loon’s Feather Gift Shop, according to a press release.

• Music and history: Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki will present “Songs of Emigration: Storytelling through Traditional Irish Music” with stories, songs and historical context on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Goffstown Public Library (2 High St. in Goffstown; 497-2102). The program, New Hampshire Humanities’ “Humanities To Go” series, does not require registration, according to goffstownlibrary.com. See also nhhumanities.org.

• Manchester in photos: The exhibit “Manchester Through the Lens of Frank Kelly,” highlighting the works of Manchester photographer Kelly in the 1950s through 1980s, will open Wednesday, Nov. 30, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org). RSVP to [email protected] or call 662-7531. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and college students and $5 for ages 12 to 18; children under 12 get in free.

Craft fairs

While there are fewer fairs this holiday weekend, there are still a few on the schedule. Send information about upcoming craft fairs to [email protected].

• The Craftworkers’ Guild opens its doors for its Holiday Craft Shop at the Kendall House (behind the Bedford Library, 3A Meetinghouse Road in Bedford) Friday, Nov. 25, through Wednesday, Dec. 22. The show is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and online shopping is available at thecraftworkersguild.org.

• The VFW 5613 Auxiliary Annual Holiday Bazaar will take place Saturday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the VFW Hall (12 Hathorn Road in Jaffrey) and will feature more than 40 tables of handcrafted items, local vendors and art as well as lunch concessions, bake sales and raffles, according to Facebook post at NH Craft Fair Connection.

• The Exeter Holiday Parade Committee will present a craft fair on Saturday, Nov. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Exeter Town Hall building by the bandstand. Admission is free and the Town Hall stage will be set with holiday scenes for family photos, according to a press release. See exeternhholidayparade.com.

• The New England Premier Events Holiday Expo will run Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Doubletree by Hilton Downtown Manchester (700 Elm St.) and will feature demos, giveaways, dessert samples, swag bags and more, according to myneevent.com.

• New England Vendor Events has two fairs scheduled for this weekend, according to their Facebook page. The Hudson Holiday Craft Fair will take place Saturday, Nov. 26, from noon to 5 p.m. at Hudson Memorial School (1 Memorial Drive in Hudson) and feature Santa and the Grinch and more than 40 crafters and vendors, according to the post. The Merrimack Holiday Craft Fair will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27, at VFW Post 8641 (282 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Merrimack). This fair will feature photos with Santa and more than 30 vendors and crafters, according to the post.

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Friends in art: Artists Denise Green and Terri St. Laurent will present a two-woman show at the Upton Chandler House Museum (10 W. Main St. in Warner) this weekend, Friday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20, called “50 Years of Friendship and Art,” according to a press release. St. Laurent specializes in photography, watercolors and acrylics and Green works in watercolors and will also show pieces with pastels and acrylics, the release said. The show will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. See warnerhistorical.org.

• Early Nutcracker: Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater presents its annual production of The NutcrackerFriday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-8855). Shows are Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20, at noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $46 for adults, $25 for kids ages 6 to 12 and $30 for seniors and veterans.

• Fra-gee-lay: The curtain rises on the Seacoast Repertory Theatre’s production of the comedy musical A Christmas Story — The Musical this Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rep’s theater, 125 Bow St. in Portsmouth (seacoastrep.org). The show runs this weekend at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19; 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20, and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20. The show will run through Friday, Dec. 23. Tickets cost $27 through $54 (plus fees).

• In the arts at Saint Anselm: The Alva de Mars Megan Chapel Art Center at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; anselm.edu/arts/chapel-art-center) will host a lecture by Naomi H. Slipp called “Re/Framing the View: Environmental Allusions in 19-Century American Landscape Painting,” on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m.

On Friday, Nov. 18, the center will open a new exhibit “Dilecta: Reflecting on a Permanent Collection, Part II: Origins and Flourishes.” The exhibit will be on display through Feb. 10. The gallery is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• On stage at Saint Anselm: The Anselmian Abbey Players will present The Diviners, a play set in 1930s Indiana about a boy with the power of divining (finding water), Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20, at 2 p.m. at the Dana Center (100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester; tickets.anselm.edu). Tickets cost $14.

Next weekend, the Methuen Ballet Ensemble will present The Nutcracker at the Dana Center on Saturday, Nov. 26, at noon and 4 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

• Extra helping of spookiness: The Hillsborough Community Center will present The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, an all-ages-appropriate take on the Washington Irving classic, Friday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20, at the Hillsboro-Deering Middle School (6 Hillcat Drive in Hillsborough). Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for children 15 and under. See hccnh.org/play for tickets.

• Add art to your soup: If the cooler weather has you making more slurpable meals, check out the League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 DW Highway in Meredith; 279-7920; nhcrafts.org/meredith), where this month the show is “Soups On!” The exhibit features handmade soup bowls in all shapes and sizes made by several artists, with proceeds from the sale of the bowls going to the Belknap House in Laconia, according to a press release. The show will run through the end of November and the gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

• Add some music to your holiday events: The NH Philharmonic is promoting its members, working as solo musicians or as ensembles, for events during the holidays and yearound. Find pricing and other info at nhphil.org/phil-for-hire.

Craft fairs

Get in some fairs before Thanksgiving. Send information about upcoming craft fairs to [email protected].

• St. Patrick Church (34 Amherst St. in Milford) will hold a craft fair Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition to handmade crafts, the event will include a penny sale, raffles, a bake sale and food concessions, according to an email.

• Lil Iguana (liliguanausa.org/craft-fair/) will hold its annual craft fair at Nashua High School North (8 Titan Way) on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free and the event features more than 100 crafters, vendors and area businesses as well as raffles, according to the website.

• Thorton’s Ferry School (134 Camp Sargent Road in Merrimack; 889-1577) will hold its annual holiday craft fair with more than 80 crafters and vendors on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a raffle room and silent auction, concession cafe, bake sale, photos with Santa and a St. Joseph Hospital Elf Clinic, according to pttf-events.com.

• Deerfield’s Holiday Craft Fair will take place Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Deerfield Community Church (15 Church St.) and feature more than 25 crafters and vendors as well as gift basket raffles, a snack bar and a white elephant room, according to an email.

• Trinity Episcopal Church (200 High St. in Hampton; 926-5688, trinityhampton.org) will hold its Holly Berry Fair today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m

• The First Parish Church (47 E. Derry Road in Derry; 434-0628) will hold its annual Sugar Plum Fair Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to crafters, find raffle baskets, a cookie walk and pecan and cinnamon rolls for sale, according to fpc-ucc.org

• The 43rd annual Bow PTO Craft Fair will be held Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bow High School (55 Falcon Way). Admission costs $2.

• The Portsmouth Holiday Arts Tour will take place at seven Portsmouth studios featuring 15 artists on Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Find the map at portsmouthartstour.com. The works will include paper, clay, glass, metal, jewelry, painting and more, according to a press release.

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• At the Factory: The Factory on Willow (252 Willow St. in Manchester; factoryonwillow.com, 263-3696) will hold an opening reception for the Fall 2022 Artist in Residence Showcase with Amira Hason, who creates architectural studies of Oxford, U.K., historic buildings, and Salvador Andrade Arévalo, who works in painting, drawing and installation, on Thursday, Nov. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m, according to the website.

The following Thursday, Nov. 17, New Hampshire Dance Collaborative will present Are You Okay, a performance created by Anthony Bounpakhom of The Block Collaborative in Portsmouth that “sheds light on the subject of mental health and the value of self-care through hip-hop dance/ street styles and dance movement,” according to a press release. The Nov. 17 performance will present four excerpts from the piece, which will premiere on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at the Factory, the release said. The Nov. 17 show starts with refreshments at 5:30 p.m., with the performance at 6 p.m. followed by discussion, the release said. The event is free to attend but register via nhdancecollaborative.com.

• Curtain calls: This is the final weekend of Bedford Off Broadway’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at the Old Town Hall (3 Meetinghouse Road) Friday, Nov. 11, and Saturday, Nov. 12, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 13, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 general admission, and $12 for children, students and seniors. Purchase them at the door or at brownpapertickets.com. Matt Ingersoll talked to TreVor Nantel, who plays Spike, in the Oct. 13 issue of the Hippo. Find that interview as well as other interviews of actors in local productions this fall in the story that starts on page 10 of that issue; find the e-edition at hippopress.com.

The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-8855) concludes its presentation of Greasewith shows on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 11, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 12, at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m.

• Nutcracker season: Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater presents its annual production of The Nutcracker on Friday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Nov. 20, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-8855). Shows are Friday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 19, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 20, at noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $46 for adults, $25 for kids ages 6 to 12 and $30 for seniors and veterans.

Craft fairs

The season continues with more fairs this weekend. Send information about upcoming craft fairs to [email protected].

• The Craftworkers’ Guild in Bedford (5 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford, the building at the bottom of the library parking lot; thecraftworkersguild.org) will open a pop-up shop Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

• The 8th annual Spirit of Christmas Fair will be held on Friday, Nov. 11, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish Holy Trinity Church (404 High St. in Somersworth) featuring sales by artisans, a penny sale, raffles, jewelry, a cookie carousel, baked goods, Christmas decorations and more, according to a press release.

• Gethsemane Lutheran Church (65 Sagamore St. in Manchester; glcmanchester.org) will hold a holiday fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring food, crafts, a basket raffle and more, according to a church Facebook post.

• The Pleasant View Retirement Community (270 Pleasant St. in Concord) will hold an indoor craft fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring baked goods, handmade items and more, according to a Facebook post.

• St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (335 Smyth Road in Manchester) will hold a craft fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with crafts, a cookie walk, a bake sale, a children’s table and more, according to a press release.

• Memorial High School (1 Crusader Way in Manchester) will hold a craft fair Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring 215 booths with crafters and vendors as well as a raffle, and the Whoopie Pie wagon will be on site, according to a post by the event coordinator. Admission costs $2 per person, the post said.

• The United Church of Penacook (21 Merrimack St.) will hold its craft fair Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. See ucpnh.org for a list of crafters.

• Concord Hospital’s Holiday Craft Fair will take place Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Payson Center for Cancer Care and in the first-floor and third-floor rotunda spaces at the hospital (250 Pleasant St. in Concord), according to concordhospital.org.

• Pure Springs Church in Raymond and the Ray-Fre Senior Center (64 Main St. in Raymond) will hold an Old Fashioned Christmas Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center featuring crafts and vendors, food, a kids’ corner and more, according to a church newsletter.

• Saint Kathryn Parish (4 Dracut Road in Hudson; stkathryns.org) will hold its annual Christmas Bazaar and Penny Sale on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 13, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fair will include raffles, penny sale, bake sale, crafts, a scavenger hunt and photos with Santa, according to the website.

• The Bedford Girl Scout troops will hold their craft fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to noon at Bedford Presbyterian Church (4 Church Road in Bedford).

• Caya Reiki & Healing(caya-healing.square.site) will hold a Holiday Psychic & Craft Fair on Saturday, Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Derry-Salem Elks Lodge (39 Shadow Lake Road in Salem) featuring more than 30 vendors and artisans, according to Caya’s Facebook post.

• The Seacoast Artisans Holiday Fine Arts and Crafts Show will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Pease Trade Port in Portsmouth. Admission costs $5 (kids 14 and under get in for free). See seacoastartisansshows.com.

• A retired potter and juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen is selling their pieces “as well as items gathered throughout years of travel and exploration,” according to an email. The sale will take place Saturday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7 Pinecrest Circle in Bedford.

• Fusion at the Factory is a “market for makers and creatives” and will be held Saturday, Nov. 12, and Sunday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to a Facebook post for Factory on Willow (252 Willow St. in Manchester; factoryonwillow.com, 263-3696). The event will feature vendors, music, food, beverages and entertainment, the post said.

• The Bedford High School Handmade Fair will take place Sunday, Nov. 13, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bedford High School (47 Nashua Road), according to the event’s Facebook page. The fair will have more than 60 local artists, food and music, according to the post.

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Open studio: In addition to the Route 3 Art Trail this Saturday (see page 17), keeping the spirit of the 2010s event NH Open Doors alive is the Kearsarge Open Studios on Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5. On Friday, from 5 to 7 p.m. head to Main Street in Warner for an Art Walk. The evening will feature wine and hors d’oeuvres at Upton Chandler House Museum (10 W. Main St.), an artist in residence at Cafe One East (1 E. Main St.) and the gallery at MainStreet BookEnds (16 E. Main St.), according to a press release.

On Saturday, the venues will open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a lineup of artists and their work. At the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum (18 Highlawn Road in Warner) see artist Lenny Novak with crafted dream catchers and Vicki Blanchard with pottery. At Cafe One East, see fine artist Meghan Blood. MainStreet BookEnds will host local artists in a variety of media. At Upton Chandler House Museum, artists include painters David, Laurette and Sean Carroll; Michelle Marson with jewelry and baskets; Jerilyn Nieder with pottery; Susan Parmenter with paintings; Mary Beth Quattrochi, who is a silversmith; Carolyn Rordam from Joppa Glassworks, and Gary Young with wooden bowls, according to a press release. See warnerhistorical.org for more information.

• Weekend of theater: At the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) and Lend Me a Theatre present Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, opening Friday, Nov. 4, and running through Nov. 20 with showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., and tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors. Reporter Katelyn Sahagian talked to the actors playing the titular characters, Sean Damboise and Zakariah Tber, as well as John Jenks Seymour, who plays Claudius, in the Oct. 13 issue of the Hippo; find the e-edition at hippopress.com (the interviews start on page 13).

On page 12 of that issue, find an interview with Hadley Harris, who plays Janet Van de Graaff in The Riverbend Youth Company’s The Drowsy Chaperone(Angie Sykeny also interviewed Hannah Shepherd, who plays The Chaperone).The showwill run at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford) on Friday, Nov. 4, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2:30 p.m. See svbgc.org/amato-center.

The Actorsingers bring the musical thriller Sweeney Todd to theKeefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua) Friday, Nov. 4, and Saturday, Nov. 5, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 2 p.m.. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and students (plus fees). Visit actorsingers.org.

The Village Players Theatre (51 Glendon St. in Wolfeboro; village-players.com) presents Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoatstarting this weekend Friday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 6, as well as Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m and tickets cost $25.

• Art at the cinema: The Red River Community Gallery at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org) will feature an exhibition from local artist Katy O’Gorman Rhodebeck titled “Explorations in Printmaking,” according to a press release. The exhibit will display her “hand-pulled, painterly style reduction block and screen prints,” the release said. See the website for theater hours, which is when the gallery is open.

Craft fairs

The first weekend of November brings more fall craft fairs. If you have an upcoming craft fair, let me know at [email protected].

• The Merrimack Knights of Columbus Fall Craft Fair will run Friday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mastricola Upper Elementary School (26 Baboosic Lake Road in Merrimack) with more than 40 crafters, a bakes table and a food counter serving homemade meals, drinks and snacks, according to an organizer’s email.

• The Goffstown Lions Club will hold its craft fair Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days at Mountain View Middle School (41 Lauren Lane in Goffstown). The fair will feature crafters and artisans from around New England and admission costs $2 (kids under 12 get in for free), according to a Lions Facebook post.

• Silver Bells Craft Fair at the Tanger Outlets (120 Laconia Road in Tilton) will run Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The offerings include home decor, fused glass, metal artwork, jewelry, quilts, hand-knitted items, wooden spoons, artwear, hand-poured soaps, maple syrups and more, according to a Facebook post.

• The Hampstead Mothers’ Club will hold its craft fair Saturday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hampstead Middle School. The fair will feature more than 80 crafters as well as a raffle and a food court, according to the group’s Facebook post.

• The Annual Village Craft Fair at the First Congregational Church (15 Lawrence Road in Salem) will run from 9 am. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, and feature crafts and a snack bar, according to a church Facebook post.

• Future fair: The Craftworkers’ Guild in Bedford (5 Meetinghouse Road in Bedford, the building at the bottom of the library parking lot; thecraftworkersguild.org) will open for Veterans Day weekend, Friday, Nov. 11, through Sunday, Nov. 13. The fair will open this pop-up shop from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Route 3 Art Trail
Travel the corridor through Concord, Penacook and Boscawen this Saturday Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the Route 3 Art Trail.
The locations will offer art exhibits and demonstrations and other events. Find a map at route3arttrail.com. Pick up a passport at the first stop and then visit five stops to be entered into a raffle. According to a press release, participating locations include:
• Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen): Twiggs’ annual holiday art fair, Sleighbell Studio, will open for the season Saturday with locally made fine art and craft as well as refreshments. Spriggs Shoppe, which is located at Twiggs, will have items including calligraphy art from artist and owner Adele Sanborn, the release said.
• Gadzooks Glass (232 King St. in Boscawen): Karen Mehos will hold an open studio featuring her glass art, which may include a demonstration.
• Susan Douglass (231 King St. in Boscawen): Douglass will set up outside her home to showcase her sculptures and other upcycled creations for the home and garden, the release said.
• Chadwick Hill Rustic Furniture (187 King St. in Boscawen): Craftsman Doug Egounis will display his log furniture (made from woods including black birch, white birch, pine and maple) and work during the tour to demonstrate the furniture-making process.
• Marshall’s Florist & Gifts (151 King St. in Boscawen): The shop offers fresh, dried and silk arrangements.
• Bittersweet Fabric Shop (8 Cottage St. in Boscawen): A local sewing machine shop that sells and maintains machines as well as selling quilting fabric, thread and sewing notions, Bittersweet will offer demonstrations of the machines on Saturday.
• Front Room Art Studio (50 Tanner St. in Penacook): Artist Melanie Deshaies will open her studio to display her drawings, paintings and pottery pieces.
• Jo Shields Studio and Lee Spoons (5 Steeple View in Penacook): Spoon maker Lee Scheffey and mixed-metal jeweler Jo Shields will display their pieces. Scheffey will offer demonstrations.
• The Wild Bean (316 Village St. in Penacook): This shop sells locally made natural body care products, herbs, flowers and plants.
• Monica Cote (48 Woodbine Ave. in Concord): A plein air painter, Cote paints portraits and animals.

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Second weekend of Grease: The Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-8855) production of the musical Grease, which will run through Saturday, Nov. 12, continues this weekend. Catch a show this weekend at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, and Saturday, Oct. 29, or at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30. Tickets start at $25.

• Last weekend of Shrek: Catch Shrek the Musical, a production by the Epping Community Theater at the Epping Playhouse (36 Ladd’s Lane; eppingtheater.org), this weekend. The production, which ends its two-week run on Sunday, has showtimes at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28, and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30. Tickets range from $15 to $20. Sean Bushor, the production’s Lord Farquaad, discussed his process for getting into the role (and the difficulty of having to do a fair amount of running around while on his knees) in the Oct. 13 issue of the Hippo; find his interview starting on page 11.

• Exhibit and a performance: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org) opened the nationally touring exhibit “State of the Art 2020: Locate,” which will be on display through Feb. 12, 2023. The exhibit “explores how different people see themselves in our society … the artists shown here explore how relationships, families, neighborhood and even hidden forces shape us as individuals,” according to the museum’s website. Pianist Jacqueline Schwab, whose newly released album is I Lift My Lamp, will perform in response to the exhibit in the Currier’s auditorium on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 2 p.m. Admission costs $30 and registration is currently open.

• Make your own art: The Currier also has classes, online and in person, for adults in November, including Drypoint Prints with Kate Hanlon on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $165; see currier.org.

• Author on stage: Stacy Shiff, author of the new book The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams and previous books The Witches and Cleopatra, will be at the Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St. in Portsmouth; themusichall.org) on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $52 and include the book.

Randy Rainbow
Author, comedian, actor, producer, singer, writer and satirist Randy Rainbow is bringing his show, Randy Rainbow: The Pink Glasses Tour, to the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. As of Oct. 24, available tickets started at $48.25 plus fees.

Craft fair season

We have another fall weekend of crafts and arts fairs on the schedule, and some of this weekend’s have a decidedly Halloweeny vibe.

• Hocus Pocus on Hanover will take place at the Spotlight Room (96 Hanover St. in Manchester) on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $5 online, $6 at the door. Described as a “spiritual fair featuring readers, healers, artists and metaphysical goods,” the event is presented by Soul and Shadow Emporium (22 Hanover St. in Manchester). See shadowandsoulemporium.com.

• The Bizarre Bazaar at Prayers of Nature Studio (33 Howard St. in Wilton) will run Saturday, Oct. 29, from noon to 7 p.m. (during the Wilton Main Street Association’s The Haunting of Wilton event) and will feature a “bootique” filled with art, gemstones, decor, artisan jewelry and apparel, according to a press release. The day will also feature divination readers and Laurie from the Eclectic Green Witchery. See prayersofnature.com.

• The Nashua Halloween Crafts Fair, held by Bazaar Craft Fairs, will take place on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 10 Spruce St. in Nashua. The event will feature 40+ crafters and vendors and trick or treating for kids (who are encouraged to come in costume), according to the event’s Facebook post.

• VFW Post 8641 in Merrimack (282 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Merrimack) will hold a craft fair on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Know of an upcoming craft fair? Tell us all about it at [email protected].