A beer release party: On Sunday, Feb. 3, the Candia Road Brewing Co. (840 Candia Road, Manchester, 935-8123, candiaroadbrewingco.com) will hold a release party for a new beer it has developed in collaboration with the band BIGFÜT, “little bigfüt.” Candia Road describes the new beer as a “nice and classy Thai Basil x Lemongrass saison.” The bands Time Eater and BIGFÜT will play from 3 to 5 p.m.
• Chef’s Table dinners in February: The Chef’s Table Dinner Series of monthly dinner events at Flag Hill Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee, 659-2949, flaghill.com) continues with February’s dinners of mushroom Wellington, lamb chops, crispy pork belly, and mango-lime cheesecake. The dinners have community seating for six to 10 people per table. Dinner reservations are $75 per person, through eventbrite.com, which includes the four-course dinner, wine/spirit/cocktail pairings with each course, tax and hospitality.
• Cheers and happy birthday: Tickets are on sale now for Unwined Wine Bar’s (1 Nashua St., Milford, 213-6703, unwinednh.com) Birthday Dinner, to celebrate its first anniversary on Thursday, Feb. 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be a wine dinner featuring five courses, curated by Executive Chef Matthew Berry and Claudio Andreani of Santa Margherita wines. Tickets are $150 each, through Eventbrite.com.
• Farmer’s Dinner tickets: Tickets for 2025 dinners by The Farmers Dinner (farmersdinner.com) are on sale now. For the 13th year, Chef Keith Sarasin and his team will work with local farms and producers to bring the freshest farm-to-table fine dining to life. Tickets sell out quickly. Visit thefarmersdinner.com/events-1.
• Organic farming knowledge and networking: Registration is open for the New England Organic Farming Association’s (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 224-5022, NOFA.org) 23rd Annual Winter Conference, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8, at Southern New Hampshire University (2500 N. River Road, Manchester, 800-668-1249, snhu.edu).
• Burnt Timber Brewing & Tavern (96 Lehner St., Wolfeboro, burnttimbertavern.com) will hold a “Date Night, Kid-Approved” event on Friday, Jan. 31, at 6:30 p.m. with a movie for kids to give parents a chance to have dinner. The tavern will screen Wild Robot (PG, 2024) in one of its rooms where kids can bring bean bags and watch the movie, according to a press release. Meanwhile, parents can enjoy a meal in the main dining room, the release said.
• Happy Feet (PG, 2006) will screen at Chunky’s Cinema Pub, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 11:30 a.m. as part of the Little Lunch Date Series. Admission costs $5 per person and includes a $5 food voucher.
Gametime
• The NHTI Lynx men’s basketball team has games Thursday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m. (versus Central Maine Community College); Saturday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. (versus Word of Life) and Sunday, Feb. 2, at 2 p.m. (versus Paul Smith’s College) at the Dr. Goldie Crocker Wellness Center on campus in Concord. The women will play Central Maine on Thursday at 6 p.m., Word of Life on Saturday at noon and Paul Smith’s College on Sunday at noon. Admission is free. See nhtiathletics.com.
• The Rivier University Raiders women’s ice hockey team will play Mass. Liberal Arts on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 6:40 p.m. at the Conway Arena (5 Stadium Drive, Nashua). See rivierathletics.com.
• The Saint Anselm College Hawks men’s ice hockey team has games Friday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 3 p.m., both versus Post University at Sullivan Arena (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester). See saintanselmhawks.com.
• The SNHU Penmen men’s ice hockey team also has two games this weekend: Friday, Jan. 31, at 7:40 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 1, at 1 p.m., both against Saint Michael College. Home games take place at Ice Den Arena (600 Quality Drive, Hooksett). See snhupenmen.com.
On stage
• Catch the final show of the Palace Youth Theatre’s Grease, school edition on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $16 to $19.
I believe this was from my first communion in the 1950s. I just realized the flowers are wax. I think my sister who is older used it as well. Can you give me any information on floral crowns? Can this be cleaned to pass down to my grandchildren?
Meg
Dear Meg,
Thanks for the pictures. They really help.
I would start off asking more questions of family, and looking at even older pictures. Sometimes crowns could start in one part of a family like a cousin and then get passed through to yours. This could have even been part of a wedding crown, dating it back to the early 1900s. So this could have a lot more family history. Wax flowers fall under millinery. They were commonly used with, on and for headwear — decorative flowers etc. The values on older pieces of wax flowers are in the age, detail, design and, as always, condition. The more details and colors the higher the values. I found values of wax florals like yours to be in the $40 range.
I think, Meg, your flowers look to be in good condition. Discoloration is expected so I might leave them. Cleaning them could result in some damage. Meg, I would see if I could find out if this was from family and where the crown started. This will give your grandchildren more appreciation for it as well. Family history of items is priceless!
Every year for more than two decades, students from Colby-Sawyer College in New London head to Italy for a semester at the Florence School of Fine Arts. The city serves as the study abroad program’s laboratory and studio. For the first time, an upcoming exhibition will show some of their works, along with those of the artists who run the school.
“Florence is filled with antiquities, art objects, museums and cathedrals; it’s very inspiring,” Jon Keenan, a professor who also runs the Davidow Fine Art Gallery at Colby-Sawyer, said in a recent phone interview. “These students are translating their experience of their studies there, and we’re able to exhibit it.”
Keenan got the idea during a visit last year with Florence School of Fine Arts founder Melania Lanzini, and photographer Charles Loverme, Lanzini’s husband, who runs the school with her. “I’ve been working with them pretty much since they started up,” he said. “We were saying, ‘We should have an exhibition, to highlight and celebrate our relationship.’”
Lanzini and Loverme will both display works.
Art by Colby-Sawyer students. Courtesy photo.
“Melania does a lot of lithography and collage work,” Keenan said. “She’s combining both traditional and contemporary approaches, working with some found objects, as well as depicting scenes in and around Florence and the area that they live in.”
In an artist statement, Loverme described the work he’ll bring to the exhibit: “For the past two decades, Italy has been both my home and my muse. Living in the historic center of Florence for 20 years, and now amidst the rolling hills of Chianti, I’ve found inspiration in the juxtaposition of city and countryside. This series explores these contrasting worlds.”
His black and white images primarily capture what Loverme calls “the timeless geometry of urban life, the interplay of light and shadow [that] highlights the city’s elegance,” while his color work focuses on rural subjects that “draw the eye to the small, overlooked details of the natural world — fallen leaves, scattered fruit, and the quiet poetry of decay.”
Representing Colby-Sawyer are Brian Cal-Mallo, who’s both a painter and photographer, printmaker Alex Jenkins, and Sota Morishita, a photographer. All are studio art and graphic design majors who studied in Florence during the summer program in 2024.
“Though varied in their chosen media, each artist shares common ground in finding inspiration in the contrasts of beauty in Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, and the Tuscan region,” Keenan said. “This exhibition reminds us not only that art is a joy to experience but also a universal language and a vibrant expression of our shared humanity.”
The exhibit will open on Jan. 30 with the three student artists in attendance.
“We always do a nice reception to celebrate the audience and create community through the arts,” Keenan said. “We’re going to have lots of great food and beverages.”
It runs through April 2, and Loverme will visit on the final day for a meet and greet, and to discuss his work.
Funded by William H. and Sonja Carlson Davidow, the latter a 1956 Colby-Sawyer graduate, the gallery opened six years ago. Keenan was involved in the conception and execution of the state-of-the-art facility where it resides, which also has a black box theater and multiple facilities for students to create in.
It sits amidst natural beauty, with Mt. Kearsarge in view, and Keenan hosts six events a year in the gallery.
“My goal is to create community, bring people together through the arts,” he said. “This venue is the ideal place to do that — to provide learning for the public, and to support the arts. Whatever we can do to keep it happening is our privilege.”
Opening Reception: The Florence School of Fine Arts & Colby-Sawyer College Art Project
When: Thursday, Jan. 30, 4-6 p.m. Where: Davidow Fine Art Gallery, 541 Main St., New London More: colby-sawyer.edu
Guitarist Ace Frehley, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and founding member of Kiss, will perform at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com) tonight at 8 p.m. This tour commemorates his 10th full-length solo album, 10,000 Volts. Tickets start at $75.
Friday, Jan. 31
Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St., Manchester, 836-6600, bookerymht.com) will host a Friday Night Jam tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. Attend in person or participate online. This is a monthly hybrid open mic event featuring performances by poets, writers, musicians and performance artists. Admission and performance are free, on a first-come-first-served basis. Visit bookerymht.com/our-events.
Saturday, Feb. 1
New cosplay, convention and travel store CosMom ConShop (100 Main St., Nashua, 438-0497, cosmomconshop.com) will celebrate its grand opening today, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with tabletop games, video games, tarot readings, poetry readings and birthday cake. Come in costume to compete for prizes and to have your picture taken.
Saturday, Feb. 1
Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester, 206-3888, chunkys.com) will host a Roper Romp “Paint” Party tonight at 7:30 p.m., celebrating the character from the 1970s Three’s Company television series. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite Helen Roper caftan .Reruns of the beloved sitcom will play throughout the event. Tickets are $45.
Saturday, Feb. 1
The New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St., Concord, 228-6688, nhhistory.org) will host a lecture today at 2 p.m.: “The Mammoth Road: New Hampshire Folk Tales as an Avenue to Local History and Culture.” Join genealogist, historian and librarian Erin Moulton to hear folk tales collected by the New Hampshire Women’s Federation in 1932 and dig into local resources in search of truths. Was it tall tale or town history? Admission is free for Society members and $10 for nonmembers. No registration is required.
Saturday, Feb. 1
The 20th New Hampshire Theatre Awards will be presented this evening at the Chubb Theatre (Chubb Theatre at CCA, 44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) beginning at 7 p.m. This will be a gala celebrating the finest achievements in New Hampshire’s vibrant theater scene. This prestigious event honors excellence in all major categories, from acting and directing to design and production. Tickets are $48.75, through the Capitol Center website.
Save the Date! Saturday, Feb. 8 There will be MMA action in Manchester when Combat Zone MMA returns to the the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., 644-5000, snhuarena.com). Combat Zone MMA events feature some of the world’s most skilled and talented mixed martial artists. From jaw-dropping knockouts to intense grappling matches, every fight is a showcase of skill, strength, and determination. Tickets start at $64 through GoTickets.com.
According to the United States Geological Survey (usgs.gov), there was a 3.8 magnitude (wmr) earthquake at 10:22 a.m. Monday, Jan. 27, off the coast of Kittery, Maine. It was felt throughout southern Maine and eastern New Hampshire and as far away as the Canadian border.
QOL score: +1, for the novelty
Comment: According to the USGS, an earthquake of this magnitude is generally “felt quite noticeably by persons indoors, especially on upper floors of buildings. Many people do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Vibration similar to the passing of a truck.” Visit earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map.
Missing
As reported by WMUR in a Jan. 26 online article, a half-ton historical marker has disappeared in Henniker. A granite slab and plaque dedicated to the historic Ocean Born Mary House disappeared sometime within the past few months. WMUR quoted Sue Fitzer, a Henniker Historical Society board member. “Where is the marker and who took it and why and where is it? Because we’d really like it back,” she said. The stone slab is over 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 1,000 pounds, the story said.
QOL score: -1
Comment: WMUR reported that replacing the marker would cost approximately $2,000. There is a $500 reward for information leading to the marker’s return; ontact the Henniker Police Department.
Flu season
According to a Jan. 26 online story by WMUR, New Hampshire has one of the highest rates of respiratory illness risk in the United States. WMUR reported that “the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services says it’s recorded 11 adult deaths so far this flu season.” At this time, health officials are especially concerned with flu cases. The article quoted Dr. Lukas Kolm, Medical Staff president and director of emergency services at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. “Even though we’ve had an uptick in Covid cases, I haven’t seen the same severity and symptoms as for the flu,” Kolm said.
QOL score: -2
Comment:“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists New Hampshire as one of three states with high respiratory illness risk per its latest data,” WMUR reported, “alongside New Jersey and Wisconsin. The latest numbers show Covid-19 and RSV viruses are also having their own smaller bumps at the same time as the flu.”
Tracking down yetis
The Southern New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Haverhill Bank, wants you to take selfies with yetis. According to a post on the Chamber’s Facebook page, from Feb. 17 until March 9 people who take pictures of themselves with yetis at participating business throughout the area and post them online will be entered into a raffle to win prizes, including a cruise vacation for two. Cindi Woodbury, executive director of the Southern New Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, told Patch.com, “The Great Yeti Quest isn’t just about finding Yetis — it’s about discovering new ways to support local businesses.”
QOL score: +1
Comment: For a complete list of participating businesses and full contest details, visit linktr.ee/SouthernNHChamber.
QOL score: 55
Net change: -1
QOL this week: 54
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