Fall flowers to know and love

Try asters, Joe Pye or turtlehead for autumn color

Many gardeners go to the plant nurseries in June, and buy things in bloom for their gardens — and rarely go back until the next year. But that means that now, as summer winds down, they have few flowers in bloom. Not me. I buy perennials in all seasons. Fall flowers are important not only for me, but for those monarch butterflies that need to have plenty of hefty meals before taking off for Mexico.

Many of the flowers that bloom in fall are tall wild flowers that have been tamed and made into garden flowers: Many of the fall asters, Joe Pye weed and rudbeckias (black-eyed susans) sold in nurseries were just selected and bred to be more “garden worthy.”

According to entomologists in the know, the best plant for pollinators in fall is the goldenrod (Solidago spp.). This tall beauty has a bad reputation in some circles as a few species of goldenrod are a bit aggressive, arriving uninvited and spreading like crazy by root. And since they have massive root systems, they are not easy to remove. But not all are like that, and some are being sold in nurseries.

One of my favorite goldenrods is Fireworks. I’ve had it about 10 years. The original plant has gotten bigger every year, but never to the point of causing problems. It blooms in September with sprays of dainty yellow flowers in a vase-like arrangement. It is readily available in nurseries. It stands 3 to 4 feet tall.

I also grow one called blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia) that is a shade-loving, diminutive goldenrod that I bought at the Garden in the Woods in Framingham, Mass., many years ago. It is perfectly well-behaved: It stays in a tidy clump and blooms late in the fall. It’s only about 16 inches tall.

New York ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) is a great pollinator plant that stands 4 to 6 feet tall or more with purple aster-like blossoms in big clusters. It does best in full sun and moist soil. Because it is such a tall plant once established, it is recommended that you cut it back to the ground when it is 2 feet tall in early summer to get a more manageable size. I wouldn’t do that until Year 2 or 3. And don’t give it fertilizer at planting time, or it may flop. Monarchs just love this plant, as do a myriad of bees.

New England asters (now no longer with the scientific genus name of aster, but Symphyotrichum) come in many sizes and a few colors. The wild ones are great. I have them alongside my stream in a light lavender. But commercially available ones come in pink and purple, too. They vary in height from quite short (often sold in bloom with the chrysanthemums) to over 5 feet tall. The mum-sized ones get taller in Year 2 and after, as they are cut back repeatedly to increase the number of blossoms and to keep them short. Full sun is best for these; they will grow in ordinary garden soil.

tall plants staked up in garden, purple flowers
New York Ironweed often needs to be staked to keep it from flopping. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium spp., formerly Eupatorium) is also beloved by monarchs and pollinators of all kinds. The native Joe Pye grows wild along my stream, but I also have it growing in a garden bed I call the “Darwin bed.” The Darwin bed never gets weeded, and tall flowers fight for space. That bed contains Joe Pye, turtle head, asters, goldenrod and giant fleece flower, among others.

The variety in the Darwin bed is one called Gateway. Instead of greenish stems, it has dark purple-black stems, and it grows even taller than the native species. Mine is nearly 8 feet tall growing in moist, rich soil. All kinds have pink-to-purple flowers in large panicles at the tops of stems, sometimes a foot or more across.

There is a smaller version of Joe Pye weed, one called Baby Joe, that has been bred to be smaller, allegedly 2 to 3 feet tall. But I hear it is more like 3 to 4 feet tall if pleased with where it is situated. All have very tenacious root systems, so plant it where you want it.

Of my favorites is loved by bumblebees but the nectar and pollen is unavailable to monarchs because the blossoms are tightly closed. Turtlehead (Chelone lyonii) has clusters of delightful pink blossoms atop 4-foot stems. The flowers are unlike anything else I grow. They resemble the head of a turtle, and bumblebees force their way in through the ”mouth” of the turtle. If you listen, sometimes you can hear the bees inside — almost growling. Or are they purring? I don’t know.

Turtlehead has a long bloom time and is a great cut flower. They start blooming in August and bloom through much of September. They do best with rich, moist soil but I have them in full sun as well as full shade. There is another turtlehead that is white, but much less vigorous for me. Its Latin name is C. glabra and I have rarely seen it for sale in a nursery.

A real delight for me is to have a few bulb plants that bloom in the fall. Fall crocus is actually not a crocus at all, but a species known as Colchicum autumnale. It has leaves in the spring that disappear in summer, then it surprises us with big crocus-like blossoms on 4-inch stems. The flowers come in singles and doubles in colors from white to pink to purple. Expensive, but worth it. Most reliable in Zone 5 or warmer, though I have it in Zone 4. The flowers are on dainty stems, and often flop over unless planted in a ground cover like vinca that helps hold the flowers up.

So go to your plant nursery now and see what you can get that blooms in the fall. Our pollinators need food now, too.

Featured photo: Turtlehead is loved by bumblebees. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

The Art Roundup 22/09/22

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

• Concord celebrates the arts: The Capital Arts Fest, a free event hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 24, and Sunday, Sept. 25, outside on south Main Street between Fayette and Concord streets in downtown Concord. The line-up for this two-day event includes a juried fine craft fair (running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday), a KidsCreate! Activity tent, a historic walking tour at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, an opening reception for the NH Potters Guild show “Storied in Clay” at 4 p.m. on Saturday, performances on the street (including Sindy Chown of Barranquilla Flavor Multicultural Program, the Concord Coachmen Chorus and the NH Scot Pipe Band and Scottish Highland Dance) and performances on the Capitol Center for the Arts Fest stage, according to the schedule at nhcrafts.org. The music lineup on Saturday includes Symphony NH Jazz Quartet at 12:30 p.m., Andrew North and the Rangers at 3 p.m. and Firefall at 5 p.m. On Sunday, the lineup includes Concord Community Music School Jazz Ensemble at 12:30 p.m., the school’s Folk Ensemble at 1:15 p.m. and Screaming Orphans Celtic Performance at 2:30 p.m., the schedule said. The Fest will also feature food from Chubba Wubba, Holy Moly, Col’s Kitchen and Batulo’s Kitchen, the website said.

• Mr. Wolf on stage: Theatre Kapow presents Mr. Wolf at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord), with showtimes on Friday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept. 24, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. The show follows a 15-year-old girl who has just been returned to her family after having been abducted as a toddler, according to tkapow.com. “Pulitzer finalist Rajiv Joseph unfurls Theresa’s new life, as she and her family struggle to make sense of a shattered past and an uncertain future in the wake of a parent’s worst nightmare,” the description said. This production contains some adult themes and may not be suitable for all viewers, according to the website (which offers more details about some of the content). Purchase tickets, which cost $28 for adults and $23 for students, at ccanh.com.

Music at the museum
The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester, 669-6144) hosts local rock band Regals on Thursday, Sept. 22, as a part of its ongoing program Art After Work: Free Thursday Nights. The event, running weekly from 5 to 8 p.m., features free gallery admission and exhibition tours, live music, and a full menu available for purchase at the Winter Garden. Future musical guests include Kemp Harris and Adam O on Sept. 29, and Jessye DeSilva on Oct. 6. For more information, visit currier.org.

• Meet Miss Holmes:The Milford Area Players will perform Miss Holmes, a play by Christopher M. Walsh based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Friday, Sept. 23, through Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mount Vernon St., Milford). The play explores what the iconic detective might have faced if he were instead a woman. Performances will take place Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m.. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit milfordareaplayers.org.

• The music of Disney: The Anselmian Abbey Players will present Disney Cabaret Night at the Dana Center (Saint Anselm College, 100 Saint Anselm Drive in Manchester) on Friday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and are available at tickets.anselm.edu.

• Call to artists: Entries are being accepted online for the 23rd Annual Joan L. Dunfey Open-Juried Exhibition to be held in November at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery on State Street in Portsmouth. The theme of this year’s show is “Magnificence of The Mundane.” This juried show is open to all regional artists, including NHAA members and non-members. This year’s juror is Kurt Sundstrom, Senior Curator of the Currier Museum in Manchester. The deadline for submission of one to three entries online in digital format is Thursday, Oct. 6, by 11:59 p.m. The exhibit will be held at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery from Nov. 2 through Nov. 27. Cash awards and honorable mentions will be announced during the show’s opening reception on Nov. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org.

Art and a mystery
Kimball Jenkins will host “Get A Clue: A Murder Mystery” on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. on its campus at 266 N. Main St. in Concord. This night will benefit Positive Street Art and will feature artists, fortune tellers, musicians and local food, as attendees face a whodunnit mystery when a guest is found murdered. An interactive mystery, the event will include drinks, food, jazz music and sleuthing. Tickets are $65, though need-based discount rates are available by contacting [email protected]. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit kimballjenkins.com.

— Hannah Turtle

ART

Events

• BRIDGES & CONNECTIONS SCULPTURE SYMPOSIUM The Andres Institute of Art (106 Route 13, Brookline, 673-7441, andresinstitute.org) hosts its annual Bridges and Connections Sculpture Symposium through Oct. 2. For three weeks, invited artists from all over the world will stay in Brookline to create sculptures for permanent installation at the Institute’s 140-acre outdoor sculpture park and trails. The public is invited to meet the artists and watch them work at designated times, TBA. A presentation of the completed sculptures at their permanent sites will take place on Sunday, Oct. 2. Visit andresinstitute.org/symposium-2022.

Opening

• “STORIED IN CLAY” The New Hampshire Potters Guild presents its biennial exhibition “Storied in Clay” at the exhibition gallery at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters (49 S. Main St., Concord) Sept. 26 through Oct. 27, with an opening reception on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Visit nhpottersguild.org.

• “THE WOODS WRAP AROUND YOU” Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford, creativeventuresfineart.com) will have an exhibition, “The Woods Wrap Around You,” on display during October, featuring hand-colored monoprints by Loretta CR Hubley. A reception will be held on Friday, Oct. 14, with wine and hors d’oeuvres at 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation by the artist and a live piano performance inspired by the exhibition.

• “FROM THE HIPPIE TRAIL TO THE SILK ROAD” exhibit fromTwo Villages Art Society will run at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) Oct. 21 through Nov. 12. This is an exhibition by Kathleen Dustin that includes her original artwork, inspired by and juxtaposed with jewelry and textiles from around the world that Dustin has collected during her travels. The opening reception will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22, from noon to 2 p.m. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

Exhibits

• “COLORS OF AUTUMN” The September show for New Hampshire Art Association members runs through Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (139 State St. in Portsmouth; nhartassociation.org). The gallery is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

• “OUT OF THE WOODS” fromTwo Villages Art Society at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) is on display through Oct. 8 and features a series of collaborative vignettes paying tribute to the seasonal changes of New Hampshire, created by a group of five local artists known as the 9th State Artisans. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• “STILL: THE ART OF STILL LIFE,” a contemporary art exhibit at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St. in Boscawen; twiggsgallery.wordpress.com, 975-0015), will feature work by artists Caleb Brown, Shela Cunningham, Bess French, Marcia Wood Mertinooke, Barbara Morse, Shawne Randlett and Marlene Zychowski and will run through Saturday, Oct. 29.

• “GEE’S BEND QUILTS” exhibit, on display at the Currier Museum of Art (50 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org), features five quilts from Gee’s Bend in Alabama, where several generations of women collectively developed a distinctive style of quilt making, according to the website. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday.

• “MEMOIRS OF A GHOST GIRLHOOD: A BLACK GIRL’S WINDOW” In the exhibit on display at the Currier Museum of Art (50 Ash St. in Manchester; 669-6144, currier.org), “artist Alexandria Smith has created an immersive multimedia environment using wallpaper, paintings on wood, found objects and sculpture. It will be accompanied by an original site-specific composition, //windowed// by Liz Gre,” according to the website. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday.

• “THE PEOPLE’S SCULPTOR: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOHN ROGERS” Exhibit celebrates the art of American sculptor John Rogers, who came to Manchester in 1850, and explores the influence that Manchester had on Rogers’ life and work. Presented by the Manchester Historic Association. On view now through September. Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors age 62 and up and college students, $4 for youth ages 12 through 18, and is free for kids under age 12. Call 622-7531 or visit manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum.

• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibition in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].

Fairs and markets

• CAPITAL ARTS FEST The Capital Arts Fest, a free event hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 24, and Sunday, Sept. 25, outside on Main Street in Concord. There will be a fine art and craft fair, live music and dance performances, a historic walking tour of downtown Concord and more. Visit nhcrafts.org or call 224-3375.

• CONCORD ARTS MARKET The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market runs one Saturday a month, June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with the last market scheduled for Oct. 15. Rollins Park, 33 Bow St., Concord. concordartsmarket.net. Visit concordartsmarket.net/summer-arts-market.html.

THEATRE

Classes/workshops

• STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS Monthly workshop series hosted by True Tales Live storytelling showcase. First Tuesday (except November), from 7 to 8:30 p.m., virtual, via Zoom. Registration is required. Visit truetaleslivenh.org for more information.

Shows

• MAJESTIC-OPOLY The Majestic Theatre presents Majestic-opoly, its 17th annual auction and performance fundraiser, on Friday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m. at the Majestic Studio Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester). The evenings will feature silent auctions, raffles and refreshments as well as performances from the company’s adult, teen and youth actors. Tickets cost $20 per person. Visit majestictheatre.net or call 669-7649.

• THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR​ The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord, hatboxnh.com) will present The Government Inspector, presented by Phylloxera Productions, Oct. 7 through Oct. 23. 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.

• FREAKY FRIDAY Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) youth company presents Freaky Friday on Tuesday, Oct. 11, and Wednesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for youth and $15 for adults.

• THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS The Community Players of Concord present The Wind in the Willows at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord) Friday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m., and tickets cost $15.

• DISNEY’S THE ARISTOCRATS KIDS The Peacock Players (14 Court St., Nashua, peacockplayers.org) youth theater company presents Disney’s The Aristocrats Kids Oct. 14 through Oct. 23. Showtimes are on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

• RED RIDING HOOD Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) youth company presents Red Riding Hood on Tuesday, Oct. 18, and Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $12 for youth and $15 for adults.

• TITANIC THE MUSICAL The Manchester Community Theatre Players present Titanic the Musical at the Manchester Community Theatre Players Theatre, located at the North End Montessori School (698 Beech St., Manchester). Showtimes are on Fridays, Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, and Saturdays, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, and Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available at manchestercommunitytheatre.com.

• GREASE The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) presents Grease Oct. 21 through Nov. 12. Showtimes are on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m., with one Thursday-at-7:30 p.m. show for each production ( Nov. 10 for Grease). Tickets cost $25 to $46.

Classical

Events

•​ DUO BALDO The Concord Community Concert Association presents a classical concert, “Duo Baldo,” featuring violinist Brad Repp on his 1736 Testore violin and pianist Aldo Gentileschi, at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord) on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 at the door or $23 online. Call 344-4747 or visit ccca-audi.org.

• WINDS OF TIME Symphony New Hampshire presents “Winds of Time,” with performances on Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center in Nashua and on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 3 p.m. at Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord). It features 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 ages 13 to 17 and full-time students age 29 and under and range from $20 to $60 for adults and from $18 to $55 for seniors age 65 and up. Admission is free for youth under age 13. Visit symphonynh.org.

• PIANIST RICHARD DOWLING​ The Concord Community Concert Association welcomes pianist Richard Dowling to Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St., Concord) on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $23. Call 344-4747 or visit ccca-audi.org.

• ORCHESTRAL SHOWCASE “NATURE & MYTH” at Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem; 893-7069) will run Sun., Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., and Sat., Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. Featuring sounds from Beethoven, Walker, Grieg and Sibelius. Presented by New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra. Tickets range from $5 to $30 for in-person seating. Visit nhpo.booktix.com.

• NATURE & MYTH​ The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra opens its 118th year with an orchestral showcase, “Nature & Myth,” featuring music by Beethoven, Walker, Grieg and Sibelius, on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m., at the Seifert Performing Arts Center (44 Geremonty Drive, Salem). Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $8 for kids. Visit nhphil.org.

• BEETHOVEN AND FRIENDS The Nashua Chamber Orchestra presents its fall concert “Beethoven and Friends,” with performances on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. at Nashua Community College (505 Amherst St., Nashua) and Sunday, Nov. 6, at 3 p.m. at Milford Town Hall (1 Union Square, Milford). The program will feature Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F, as well as Symphony No. 1 in G by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges; Impromptu Op. 5 by Jean Sibelius; and Andante and Rondo ongarese, Op. 35 by Carl Maria von Weber. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for seniors age 65 and up, military and college students. Admission is free for youth under age 18. Visit nco-music.org.

Taking you under the sea

How the Palace’s The Little Mermaid created its own underwater fairy tale

By Hannah Turtle

[email protected]

The Little Mermaid is in the headlines.

Just as the Palace Theatre prepared to kick off its production of the musical based on the classic Disney animated movie, the first teaser trailer dropped for Disney’s 2023 live-action film version of the story.

“We had no idea that was going to come out so close to opening, but the cast has been so excited about it,” said Sebastian Goldberg, assistant artistic director and choreographer of the production. “Everyone loves to try that riff that she [Halle Bailey, the actress playing Ariel] sings.”

The Palace’s The Little Mermaid runs at the Manchester theater through Oct. 2, with shows on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays as well as on Thursday, Sept. 29.

Without the benefit of animation or CGI, the Palace’s production team had to get creative, tasked with designing a set that looks and feels as though it is deep in the ocean. In addition to strategic lighting, the set uses some unexpected materials.

“There’s this stuff, it’s called The Great Stuff, it’s normally used for insulation or as a gap filler in construction projects, but we’ve been using it a lot to design the set. When we let it dry and paint over it, it looks a lot like coral,” Goldberg said.

The set, though, is only half the battle in giving the show the impression of being “under the sea.”

“Every show has its own unique challenges. For our actors, it takes a lot of practice to give the impression of being underwater,” Goldberg said. “One thing they do is move their arms as though they’re treading water, so while they’re doing a scene, they also have to be conscious of that.”

Even without the unique challenges of designing a show that takes place underwater, The Little Mermaid is still somewhat out of the ordinary for the Palace, whose later mainstage productions this season include more traditional “adult” shows like Grease and A Christmas Carol.

“During our regular season, we don’t usually do these types of shows, but The Little Mermaid is such a big show and such a big part of so many people’s lives and childhoods,” Goldberg said.

To Goldberg, it’s a production that can be enjoyed by all ages.

“Ariel is a special character. She’s fiercely independent, she follows her heart, sometimes to a fault, but she has that endearing naivete that makes her so loveable,” he said. “That’s something the audience will be able to feel, and want to be on this journey with her while they watch the show.”

As they prepared for opening night on Sept. 16, Goldberg was hoping audiences will get something special out of seeing The Little Mermaid live.

“I hope that any time someone leaves the Palace that they remember there’s nothing quite like live theater. We’re all going through so much these days and theater is such an escape, and so I’m excited for people to let themselves get lost in the story, and to leave feeling a little lighter, maybe wanting to sing and dance through the street,” he said.

The Little Mermaid
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester; 668-5588
When: Now through Sunday, Oct. 2. Show times are Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m., plus Thursday, Sept. 29, at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $25 to $45 at palacetheatre.org

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Pickleball is everywhere

A look at the popular sport where community is key

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

After getting a quick set of stretches in, friends Jessee Tardif and Meghan Richard write their names in separate squares of the free play boxes.

The two women are among the youngest of the pickleball players who gathered at Fields Grove in Nashua, but that fact doesn’t faze them in the slightest.

“I learned how to play a few years ago from a next-door neighbor, but I just started playing more regularly,” Richard said. “This is my third time back this week.”

This group meets every day at 9 a.m. and plays until noon. Instead of arriving with a doubles partner, players arrive with friends but play with whomever is present, often choosing different courts. This system of setting up games is called open play.

Pickleball, a sport invented less than a century ago, has taken southern New Hampshire by storm, with courts popping up all over the state’s public parks, tennis clubs and town recreation centers. It’s played on a court made from the same material as a tennis court — the players all have paddles that are reminiscent of ping-pong paddles, but much larger, while the ball itself is a plastic wiffle ball that is much slower than a traditional tennis ball.

While the game can be played in singles, it’s most often played in doubles. Each half of the court has three sections, a left and right zone and the no-volley zone, colloquially called the kitchen.

Pickleball versus tennis: the key differences
While pickleball was partially based on tennis, the rules differ in a few ways, according to the USA Pickleball Association. A full list of rules can be found at usapickleball.org.
• Points are scored only by the team serving
• The way a game is won is the team gets at least 11 points total, but must win by a difference of two points
• There is a “no-volley zone” called the kitchen, where players cannot stand when hitting the ball
• One server serves until they make a mistake that results in the stop of play, called a fault
• The second member of the team will serve until their team causes a fault
• All serves must be underhand
• There is a two-bounce rule, meaning the serve must result in a bounce to the receiver and the receiver must bounce the ball back to the serving team before points can be scored

Bob Hanek, one of the original members of the Nashua Pickleball Club, said that the game is meant to be social in nature. To demonstrate his point, he gestures to players hanging around the picnic benches next to the courts. Players mingle and chat, sipping water and eating light snacks, while watching friends they’ve made from the sport play.

“That makes it very, very positive because not only are you getting out, you’re doing some exercise, you’re developing a skill, but there’s people all around you to talk to,” Hanek said.

Players who are more serious about the sport tend to gravitate toward certain parks, Hanek said. He added that, in his opinion, the game was invented to be a way for people to have fun and get to make new friends.

West Coast origins

Pickleball was originally created in 1965 by three fathers from Washington state who were looking for a summer activity to entertain their active kids, according to information online from the USA Pickleball Association, the national governing body of the sport. The game has since taken off, gaining professional leagues across America — in March of this year, it was even declared the official state sport of Washington by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The sport had been played in every U.S. state by 1990, but its popularity didn’t start spiking until the mid-2010s, Hanek said. While he wasn’t a founding member, he joined the Nashua Pickleball Club before it even had a regular court to play at.

a white haired and bearded man serves the ball on a pickleball court
Larry Goodwin gets his serve swinging for a round of pickleball. Photo by Katelyn Sahagian.

The public club in Nashua was started in 2013 by Doug Price and about 30 of his close friends. Price approached the city’s Parks and Recreation department, asking if they could use beat up and unused tennis courts for pickleball. Price and his friends fixed, cleaned and painted the old tennis courts, transforming them into pickleball courts.

“There’s an old park down in Fields Grove with a tennis court that nobody ever uses,” Price remembers his contact at the Parks and Recreation department saying. “Over the course of two or three years, [he] helped us get to where we are today.”

Price, a snowbird who spends half the year in Sarasota, Florida, started the group to continue playing his favorite sport in the summer months. Nearly a decade later, the group is now at more than 450 members.

Price said he never imagined that so many people would want to join and pick up a game. He has been so influential to the sport in Nashua that the city’s Parks and Recreation department named the courts at Field Grove after him.

“And so unbeknownst to me, they present me with that,” Price said as he pointed to the sign that hangs on the court’s chain link fencing. “This is our first home and everybody loves it here.”

Public parks with pickleball courts
• Barnard Park, South Mast Street, Goffstown
• Beaver Meadow Park, 42 Sewalls Falls Road, Concord
• Bedford Parks and Recreation, Nashua Road, Bedford
• Fields Grove, Fields Street, Nashua
• Foss Field, 88 Lehner St., Wolfeboro
• Hudson Community Center, 12 Lions Ave., Hudson
• Hudson Outdoor Pickleball Courts, 8 Melendy Road, Hudson
• Laconia Community Center (indoor venue), 306 Union Ave., Laconia
• Prout Park, 284 Young St., Manchester
• South Mill Pond Playground, Junkins Avenue, Portsmouth
• Stevens Park, 68 Bunker Hill Ave., Stratham

How pickleball got so popular

Denise Cascio Bolduc had first heard of pickleball at a professional women’s tennis event in 2019. She said that she and some of her friends tried the game and, from then on, she became hooked.

“It’s one of those activities that doesn’t feel like you’re getting exercise,” Bolduc said. “This just feels like fun. The fact that you’re getting exercise and burning calories is a huge bonus.”

She was surprised that there weren’t many places to play in the Manchester area, so she decided to change that. This led her to helping set up Rock On Pickleball. Bolduc became the founding president of the club, which now practices at Rock Rimmon Park in Manchester.

While she has since parted ways with the group, Bolduc still plays the sport. She just won two gold medals in Wolfeboro for the Pickleball All Stars tournament earlier this month.

Today, she continues to run a much more informal group at Prout Park in Manchester, and is the contact person for the courts at the park.

Bolduc isn’t the only tennis player to switch over to pickleball. Hanek said that many pickleball players have played other racquet sports in the past, and experience with tennis and badminton makes pickleball easier to pick up.

Hanek said he likes pickleball because the style of play isn’t as aggressive as tennis. He said that it’s a game of placement, not a game that requires players to plow through their opponent. In many ways, he said, the rules require some collaboration between the opposite sides. Things like the two-bounce rule and being responsible for calling one’s own fouls keep players responsible.

“I think that’s the magic [of] this,” Hanek said. “It’s social enough and it’s collaborative enough so that you don’t really feel bad being punished for your mistakes.”

Part of what makes pickleball special to Hanek is the camaraderie that forms. He said there is a focus on socialization that is lacking in other sports. Pickleball, especially open-play, means that there’s a limited number of courts, and an unlimited number of payers.

It’s a simple game to play, Hanek said — but to him, that isn’t why it’s so popular.

“It’s a multigenerational game,” he said. “Everyone of different abilities can play.”

Hanek said that he has shared the court with a three-generation family of players: a grandfather, son and 12-year-old grandson.

Hannah Turtle contributed to this cover story.

Where to play organized pickleball

There are groups and free-play options across southern New Hampshire. Visit places2play.org to find additional locations.

Bow Brook Club
Where: 144 Warren St., Concord
Membership: Full membership costs range from $650 to $720 annually, and associate membership costs range from $350 to $400 annually (members must be 21 years of age or older)
Visit: bowbrook.club

Executive Health & Sports Center
Where: 1 Highlander Way, Manchester
When: Half of the basketball court is available for open pickleball play on Sundays, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and on Mondays, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Call 668-4753 to book court time outside of open pickleball hours.
Visit: ehsc.com/pickleball

Exeter Recreation Park Pickleball Pickup Program
Where: 4 Hampton Road, Exeter (games take place on the tennis courts)
When: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 7 to 10 a.m., and Wednesdays, from 6 p.m. to dusk
Cost: $5 per person per session
Visit: exeternh.gov/recreation/adult-18-pickleball-pick

Health Club of Concord
Where: 10 Garvins Falls Road, Concord
Hours: Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit: healthclubofconcord.com

New England Pickleball Club
Where: 6 Airfield Drive, Rye
Hours: Weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and weekends, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $12 per hour
Visit: nepclub.com

Rock Rimmon Park Pickleball Courts
Where: Rock Rimmon Park, 264 Mason St., Manchester
When: The Rock On Pickleball Club plays every day at 8 a.m.
Contact: Nicole Mendola, 714-8394

YMCA of Downtown Manchester
Where: 30 Mechanic St., Manchester
When: Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., and Saturday 8 to 10 a.m.; also offered from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Visit: graniteymca.org

Featured photo: Apple Hill Farm in Concord. Courtesy photo.

This Week 22/09/22

Big Events September 22, 2022 and beyond

Friday, Sept. 23

Join 603 Forward and the Forward Foundation for the Forward Fest today at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester) at 5:30 p.m. The event will celebrate young leaders of New Hampshire. The event will have live music, arts, community building and food. Ticket prices for adults start at $50. For more information about this event, visit 603forward.org.

Friday, Sept. 23

Mel’s Funway Park (454 Charles Bancroft Hwy, Litchfield) has undergone its annual transformation into Spooky World as of today at 7 p.m. The horror-themed amusement park will have a haunted hayride, a maze filled with a new breed of monster, a 3D nightmare attraction called Dream Scape, and a chance to escape Asylum 47. Tickets start at $54 and can be purchased at nightmarenewengland.com.

Saturday, Sept. 24

The Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis) is hosting its annual Fall Festival and Art Show today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event features artwork by regional artists, children’s art, live music, animal and birds of prey presentations, guided hikes and herbal and flower products and refreshments for sale. Amy Conley will offer children’s songs and a puppet show (at 11 a.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday), and the Flying Gravity Circus, a children’s circus troupe, will perform at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The event is free to attend and more information can be found at beaverbrook.org.

Saturday, Sept. 24

Today is the opening reception for the The New Hampshire Potters Guild’s biennial exhibition, “Storied in Clay,” at the exhibition gallery at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters (49 S. Main St., Concord). The exhibition will open on Sept. 26 and run through Oct. 27. The reception is free and takes place during the two-day Capital Arts Fest (today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) happening on Main Street in downtown Concord. Visit nhpottersguild.org for more information on the exhibit and nhcrafts.org for more on the fest.

Saturday, Sept. 24

Millyard Brewery (25 E. Otterson St., Nashua) is hosting an Oktoberfest today from 1 to 8 p.m. and tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 6 p.m. The festival will have live music, games, traditional German food, a beer stein holding contest and more. Visit millyardbrewery.com for more information.

Sunday, Sept. 25

The annual Merci train ceremony is today at 1 p.m. at the boxcar’s permanent location, on Reed Street in Manchester. The ceremony commemorates the soldiers from New Hampshire who fought and died in France during World War II, liberating the French people. The ceremony is free to attend, and more information about it is available at facnh.com.

Save the date! Saturday, Oct. 22
Adam Sandler is coming to the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester) on Saturday, Oct. 22. Sandler will be performing a new stand-up comedy routine. Doors to the event will open at 6:30 p.m., and the show will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $39.50 and can be bought at snhuarena.com.

Featured photo. The Flying Gravity Circus. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 22/09/22

Celebrating recovery

Hope for New Hampshire Recovery, a Manchester-based nonprofit that connects people in recovery with people struggling with addiction, presents its Recovery Festival on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Veterans Park in downtown Manchester. According to a press release, the event will feature more than 40 representatives from local recovery residences, treatment and recovery centers, health agencies and other pathways to recovery; as well as music, free candy, free home Covid tests courtesy of the Manchester Health Department and free Naloxone courtesy of Manchester Doorway. Visit recoverynh.org/recoveryfestival.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The Hope Recovery Center, on Wilson Street in Manchester, hosts more than 40 recovery meetings a week and presents musical talent shows and more than 600 member-made paintings on the walls “to help demonstrate that recovery is more than just going to meetings — it’s a brand new and better life,” the press release stated.

Vaxxed up

A recent WalletHub study ranked New Hampshire at No. 3 out of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for the Most Vaccinated States. The study looked at various factors, such as the influenza vaccination rate of youth; the share of teenagers with up-to-date HPV vaccinations; the share of senior adults who have received a Zoster vaccination and more. New Hampshire ranked especially high for flu vaccination coverage rate among adults (No. 3) and share of adults with tetanus vaccination (No. 3).

QOL score: +1

Comment: New England swept the top six, with Massachusetts at No. 1, followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine, and Connecticut at No. 6.

Return of the flu

New Hampshire health officials are warning that the upcoming flu season could be the worst in several years, NHPR reported. Influenza cases dropped significantly in the 2020-2021 season as a byproduct of Covid mitigation measures. The number of cases increased in the 2021-2022 season, but were still significantly lower than a typical season pre-Covid. This fall and winter, however, influenza cases are expected to fully rebound. The CDC recommends that people get a flu shot by the end of October to reduce their risk of becoming infected with or becoming seriously ill from the flu, which typically peaks around February.

QOL score: -1

Comment: Covid booster vaccinations updated to protect against the omicron variant recently became available in New Hampshire, and it’s safe to get the Covid booster and the flu vaccine at the same time, according to the CDC.

Overdoses on the rise

The total number of suspected opioid overdoses so far this year in New Hampshire’s two largest cities, Manchester and Nashua, is 624, which is 19 percent higher than the total was for 2021 at this time of year, the Union Leader reported. The cities are currently averaging between 80 and 90 drug overdoses a month, putting Nashua on track to have the highest number of opioid overdose-suspected deaths in a one-year period since 2015, and Manchester on track to have the highest since 2017.

QOL score: -2

Comment: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration recently warned the public of an emerging trend of fentanyl produced in the form of brightly colored pills, powders and blocks, made to look like candy to appeal to children and young people, the article said.

QOL score: 83

Net change: -1

QOL this week: 82

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

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