Beer and community at Kingston Brew Fest

25 breweries to bring samples

After the past couple of weeks that the Kingston Volunteer Fire Department has had — responding to heat emergencies and dumpster fires in full gear and 100-degree heat — beer and a dunk tank sound pretty good.

The Kingston Volunteer Firefighter Association is hosting this year’s Kingston Brew Fest Saturday, June 29, from 2 to 6 p.m. at 148 Main St. in Kingston. It is part of Kingston’s larger Summerfest Weekend celebration to earn money for the fire department.

“We started five years ago,” said Fire Chief Graham Pellerin, “as an idea for a fundraiser. Over the years, it’s fluctuated — obviously through Covid — but we’re looking to have another banner year, this year. Right now, we have 25 confirmed breweries attending, bringing at least three beverages each, so you’re looking at 75 items to sample.”

The Summerfest lasts three days, from Friday, June 28, through Sunday, June 30.

“Brewfest is on Saturday, in the afternoon,” said Chief Pellerin, “but Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we’re going to have carnival rides, entertainment throughout the weekend, line dancing on Saturday, a petting zoo on Sunday and a bonfire with s’mores on Saturday night. It’s kind of a fun event for everybody.” In addition, Summerfest attendees can expect ax-throwing, a dunk tank, touch-a-truck, mini-bike jumpers, and cow patty bingo.

This year, Chief Pellerin said, Kingston had trouble finding enough volunteers to run the events, so the members of the Fire Department stepped up.

“We said, OK, we’ll take it and carry the torch for this year.’” He said this is an event that brings the whole community together. “We have volunteers from the Town — we’ll have the Police Chief, myself as the Fire Chief, and the Building Inspector in the dunk tank, and some local business owners.”

For beer enthusiasts, after drinking samples at the Brew Fest between noon and 6 p.m., there will be a Beer Tent on site from 6 to 10 p.m. “It will be held like a restaurant bar,” Chief Pellerin said. People can go into a secured, fenced-in area, enjoy the live music and drink at their leisure.” The two beer-related events will be in a fenced-off area.

“It’s a good event,” said Chief Pellerin, “and we look forward to keeping it going year after year.”

Bobby Jackson is the Brewer for Sawbelly Brewing (156 Epping Road, Exeter, 583-5080, sawbelly.com). This will be his third Kingston Brew Fest. He’s a big fan.

“It was probably my favorite event we went to last summer,” Jackson said, “even with a torrential downpour.”

He is planning to bring three beers to Brew Fest this year. “I plan to bring a couple of IPAs and a Pilsner,” he said, “Ring of Haze — that’s a double IPA — Caribbean Wedding — a New England IPA, and probably my favorite of our beers right now — and Reinbot, a German-style Pilsner. Well, German-ish.” He said it’s heavily influenced by a Czech brewer he worked with once.

Jackson reiterated how much he likes working the Kingston event.

“There’s people from all over, and the organizers are super-nice,” he said. Plus, he said, he likes helping firemen.

Kingston Summerfest
When: Friday June 28, at 6 p.m. through Sunday, June 30, at 6 p.m.
Where: 148 Main St., Kingston
More: Find Kingston Fire Summer Fest on Facebook.

Breweries attending Kingston Brewfest

603 Brewing – Londonderry
Austin Street Brewery – Portland, Maine
Buena Gave – Manchester
Citizen Cider – Burlington, Vermont
Czar’s Brewing – Exeter
Definitive Brewing – Portland, Maine
Downeast Cider – Boston, Mass.
Exhibit A Brewing – Framingham, Mass.
Henniker Brewery – Henniker
Last ChairBrewery – Plymouth
Liquid Therapy – Nashua
Long Blue Cat Brewing – Londonderry
Lord Hobo Brewing – Woburn, Mass.
Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. – Waltham, Mass.
New Belgium Brewing – national
OOCA NonCarbonated – national
Oddball Brewery – Suncook
Sawbelly Brewing – Exeter
Tap Brewing – Haverhill, Mass.
Throwback Brewery – North Hampton
Tuckerman Brewing – Conway
Woodland Farms Brewing – Kittery, Maine
Woodstock Inn Brewing – North Woodstock
Wormtown Brewery – Worcester, Mass.

The Weekly Dish 24/06/27

News from the local food scene

• New Social Club Ice Cream location: Laconia’s popular ice cream shop and bakery The Social Club Creamery has opened a new location in Concord at 138 N. Main St., Concord (333-2111, socialclubcreamery.com). In addition to house-made ice cream flavors like Roasted Strawberry, Honeycomb, and Maple Latte, the Creamery offers seasonal specialties like Pistachio Cannoli and Mango Sorbet. Baked goods include seasonal and classic cookies. It is open seven days a week, 1 to 9 p.m.

• Italy’s grapes: Wine on Main (9 N Main St., Concord, 897-5828, wineonmainnh.com) will host a guided tasting of six Italian wines on Tuesday, July 2, and Wednesday, July 3, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The cost is $35 per person, and includes six wines and light snacks. Visit wineonmainnh.com/event.

• Heirloom salads: Bedrock Gardens (19 High Road, Lee, 659-2993, bedrockgardens.org) will host a class in the “art of salletting” from John Forti, author of The Heirloom Gardener, Tuesday July 2, at 1 p.m. Learn skills and recipes to make your own special salads. The cost is $35 for non-members. Visit eventbrite.com for tickets.

• Circus and a Greek dinner: Join Ya Mas Greek Taverna (275 Rockingham Park Blvd, The Mall at Rockingham Park, Salem, 635-4230, yamasnh.com) for dinner and a show during the run of the Flip Circus at Rockingham Park (99 Rockingham Park Blvd., Salem) Friday, June 28, through Sunday, July 7. Present your tickets before or after a performance for a special three-course adult meal for $25, or a two-course children’s meal for $10.

On The Job – Regina Tranfa

Children’s Book Author

Regina Tranfa is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator who is a Kid’s Con New England veteran. You can find her stories My Dad Took Me To Outer Space and My Dad Took Me To Dinosaur Land, as well as coloring books, on her website thetookmeseries.com or on Amazon.

Explain your job and what it entails.

I have created this sci-fi, fantasy, educational series of books where I take my conceptual thinking and I combine it with my illustration style to create stories that create a sense of wonder for both children and adults. It’s kind of like the Magic School Bus too because even as an adult you’re going to learn a lot.

How long have you had this job?

I’ve been at this for 11 years but it’s really the past two years that I’ve really been selling it. It wasn’t until the second book came out with the coloring books that things started to take off at the craft fairs.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

My background is in graphic design and I just still had more of a yearning to create and use my drawing skills and my conceptual thinking, and I’m able to combine that with my views on the world. I self-publish these books. I found out about self-publishing one day when watching the Jeff Probst show. They had this man on there named Dallas Clayton and he’s a children’s book author and writer, and hearing his story was kind of an inspiration to me. That’s an avenue I can go down with my creativity.

What kind of education or training did you need?

Well, my background is in graphic design. I was lucky because the college I went to, the first two years we were not on the computer. It was a lot of hand drawing and working color theory and three-dimensional design, so that helped a lot. And then the design background is where I really got the typesetting skills and the conceptual thinking.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Just at my drafting table in a comfortable pair of pants and shirt.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

Getting it done…. I’m very disciplined about my night hours, getting this done. There’s time where I don’t want to do this but no, I still stand in front of the computer, even if it’s 7 o’clock, and get an hour in.

What do you wish you had known at the beginning of your career?

When getting feedback from people, really showing it to adults with artistic backgrounds and adults with non-artistic backgrounds, because I get two different points of view from that. … The second book, when I would show it to children, I showed it to them without the words so they could tell me the story … let the child tell me the story through the images.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

That writing and illustrating is a lot of work!

—Zachary Lewis

Five favorites
Favorite book: The Neverending Story
Favorite movie: Stardust
Favorite music: Anything that’ll make me run. Alternative and pop.
Favorite food: Gourmet popsicles
Favorite thing about NH: The different seasons.

Featured photo: Regina Tranfa. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 24/06/27

Dear Donna,

Found these pennies at a flea market over the weekend. We paid $10 for all of them. Can you give me any information on them?

Thank you, Donna.

Tim

Dear Tim,

Coins are a field of their own and not one I have the most experience in. It’s a very interesting and complex collectible market and some can be very, very valuable.

Your pennies are from 1943 and if you’re lucky maybe you have one dated 1944. The 1943 wheat penny was made to conserve copper during World War II. They were made of steel with a zinc coating. Beware, though, some of the values are in the mint marks and other conditions that either enhance the values or take away from it. As with everything there are reproductions out there. Sad but true!

The average value of a steel penny in good condition is a few dollars. In order for you to get a real value they must be seen by a professional. This is a must should you have a treasure.

Tim, even if you have only a few dollars in steel pennies, the education you’re going to get from them will be priceless. Some of your work could be done via a guide to collecting coins or online. Don’t assume, though — have them looked at! Good luck, Tim, and I hope you found a treasure or two.

Growing roses and more

For roses, a weekly soak beats a daily sprinkle

June is, traditionally, the month for weddings. It is also the time when old-fashioned roses bloom, along with peonies, iris and many other great garden flowers. Is that coincidence? Perhaps. But maybe the two are linked. Let’s look at some great June flowers you can grow, and how to succeed with them.

My mom was an organic gardener who loved her roses. And although she is no longer with us to deny it, I think she may have cheated when it came to her roses. Back in the 1950s and ’60s roses were much fussier than they are now. They suffered from all kinds of fungal diseases and were eaten by ferocious Japanese beetles that made mincemeat of leaves and blooms. I think she used chemicals to kill the beetles and subdue the fungi.

Now we no longer have to resort to chemicals to have nice roses. Breeders have worked hard to develop roses that stay healthy and avoid predation from hungry beetles. The beetles were easy: they bred roses without scent to attract them. I don’t know how they developed roses resistant to diseases, but they have. I never see rose diseases, and I never spray.

My favorite roses are part of the “Knockout” series of roses, though I know others who really like the “Easy Elegance” series. They do not grow blossoms on long stems, but have multiple blossoms per stem. My “Knockouts” start blooming in June and bloom all summer and up until hard frost, or even later.

Siberian iris are tall and elegant. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Roses love full sun but will grow in part shade. But the more sun they get, the better they do. Six hours of sunshine is considered full sun by most authorities. Afternoon sun is more potent than morning sun, so the west side of the house is better than the east.

Roses need good, rich soil. If you have sandy soil or a heavy clay, you will need to improve it in order to succeed. What does that mean? Mix in lots of compost when you plant, and add some organic fertilizer. Dig a hole that is at least three times as wide as the pot it was in when you purchased it. Mix the soil for the hole 50-50 with good compost, either your own or a good bagged compost. I like Moo Doo or Coast of Maine brands.

Roses need more water than most other things, but do not want to sit in soggy soil. They should get an inch of water per week from rain, or a good dousing from your watering can applied slowly so it can soak in. A deep watering once a week is better than a little sprinkle every day.

Soil pH is important, too. The pH is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of your soil. You can buy an inexpensive kit to test it, or send a sample out to be tested for pH and soil quality at your state Extension Service. Roses do best in slightly acidic soil, in the range of 6.0 to 6.8. If your soil has a lower number, you should add limestone and mix it in. But don’t add too much. A test should tell you how much to add.

Many roses are grafted onto rootstock. The bud union — a scar — should be buried in the soil. The scar is obvious on bare-root roses but is probably buried if you buy a rose in a pot. The colder the climate, the deeper that graft line or bud union should be. For Zone 4, it should be about 4 inches below the final soil line. Zone 5? 3 inches. Zone 6? 2 inches.

Want more blossoms? Roses do better if they get some fertilizer a few times during the course of the summer. An organic, slow-release bagged fertilizer called Rose Tone is designed just for roses, but I use Pro-Gro, my go-to organic fertilizer, and sometimes use liquid fish and seaweed fertilizers made by Neptune’s Harvest. I add half a cup of Pro-Gro to the hole when I plant.

Other June flowers suitable for a wedding are peonies and iris. Peonies live forever if planted right — deep rich soil amended with plenty of organic matter. I have one from my grandmother, and she died in 1953. If you planted one that never blooms, you have probably planted it too deep. The “nibs” or growing points under the soil surface for next year’s growth should be no deeper than three quarters of an inch. You can feel them by poking around in the soil with your fingers. Pull away some soil if they are too deep, and it should bloom next year.

Siberian iris only bloom for a few days but are magnificent. They come in a variety of blues and purples. Old patches tend to develop a dead spot in the middle because the plants have used up all the soil nutrients. Divide in the fall and re-plant, or add some organic fertilizer now.

There are too many gorgeous flowers to mention them all. But if you are planning a wedding, be advised that flowers do not bloom on an absolute calendar. Your favorite peony may bloom on June 15 this year — and June 21 or June 3 next year. Your best bet is to have a good florist as a backup.

Kiddie Pool 24/06/27

Family fun for whenever

Nature and a story

• Squam Lakes Natural Science Center will be hosting its StoryWalk kickoff reception at the Curry Place (846 Route 3, Holderness) on Friday, June 28, at 10 a.m. Attendees can stroll along the Squam channel as they read a nature-inspired story posted one page at a time along the trail. Children can participate in a craft and enjoy a snack connected to the story at the reception. It’s free and there’s no registration required. Visit nhnature.org. The Center’s live animal exhibit trail and hiking trails are open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the last trail admission at 3:30 p.m., according to the website.

On stage

• The Impact Touring Children’s Theatre will perform The Emperor’s New Clothes on Tuesday, July 2, at 10 a.m. at the BNH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com). This is a free performance. Seating for this show is mostly on the open floor. Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets to sit on.

• Kidz Bop Live comes to the BankNH Pavilion (80 Recycle Way, Gilford, 293-4700, banknhpavilion.com) on Wednesday, July 3, at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $49.

Movies!

• Kids Series O’neil Cinemas Brickyard Square (24 Calef Highway, Epping, oneilcinemas.com) features Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem(PG, 2023) on Monday, July 1, and Wednesday, July 3, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

• The Park Theatre’s Kids Summer Movie-Rama continues in Jaffrey with Peter Rabbit (PG, 2018) on Saturday, June 29, at 10 a.m. and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (PG, 2018) on Tuesday, July 2, at 1:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 6, at 10 a.m. Tickets are $7. Visit theparktheatre.org/kids or call 532-8888.

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