And other less drastic ways to deal with Japanese knotweed
I’m a lucky guy: I have no Japanese knotweed. Many is the gardener who has emailed me asking, “What can I do to get rid of Japanese knotweed?” My usual answer? Sell the house.
Japanese knotweed, commonly called bamboo because of its hollow, segmented stems, goes by a number of scientific names, most commonly Polygonum cuspidatum. The leaves are heart-shaped and alternate on the stems, which can reach up to 10 or even 15 feet tall. It was introduced from Japan as a landscape plant in the late 1880’s, and was sometimes planted for erosion control, but quickly proved invasive.
Japanese knotweed spreads easily; its rhizomes (roots) can go 90 feet or more, even popping up through asphalt or pushing through house foundations. I talked to someone who tried to dig out a patch that had been growing for decades by using a backhoe; he quit after digging down 8 feet because he saw roots going even deeper!
Japanese knotweed blooms in early fall with white blossoms that attract bees and other pollinators. The small seeds are carried by wind, water or animals, though research shows that seeds are not usually how it propagates. It spreads by root — even a small bit of root can create a new patch of knotweed, so it is a problem along streams and rivers because flooding can send its invasive roots to new sites miles away. Sometimes highway departments move soil with roots, and it spreads.
Invasive plants (like knotweed) are defined as those coming from a different continent with few or no natural predators here. The bugs that eat purple loosestrife or Japanese knotweed did not come with them when they first made it to our shores. Invasives spread rapidly and can outcompete our native plants for sun, moisture and soil nutrients.
Most invasives can grow in sun or shade in wet or dry soil. They do not need that dark, organic matter-rich soils that we offer our peonies. Invasives, generally, can grow in your gravel driveway if given half a chance.
Most invasives are hard to control for several reasons. Most have extensive root systems that spread far and wide, and are often brittle. Trying to dig out the roots generally results in new plants from scraps of root that broke off, and that is certainly the case for knotweed.
I recently called Pete Butler, an arborist living in Stockbridge, Vermont, to talk about Japanese knotweed. Last summer I visited one of his projects, a public park along the Ottauquechee River in Woodstock, Vermont, to look at his efforts controlling knotweed.
Pete said that the best time to attack a patch of knotweed is in the fall, when the plants are less vigorous and new shoots are less likely to grow after the roots are disturbed. Dig out root masses to get as much root as possible. The roots show bright orange if scraped with your shovel. They are woody and large in a well-established patch. “You’re not going to dig it all out successfully. But taking away a lot of the root mass is like a good punch in the nose,” according to Pete.
He emphasized that you should never get rid of your excavated knotweed roots by taking them away. Destroy them on site by burning them. He takes dead trees, branches from pruning and other wood products to start a hot bonfire that will destroy the knotweed. If you truck it away, it will start growing elsewhere, spreading the problem.
After digging, he said, add some competition. He uses winter rye, planting in the fall. It scavenges nitrogen and starts rebuilding soil that the knotweed has depleted. He also adds fertilizer to improve the soil. In spring the winter rye starts growing early, as does the knotweed. The grass stabilizes the soil and helps re-introduce microbial life, he said.
Getting a soil test will help you determine how badly your soil has been degraded by the knotweed so you can improve it. In the spring he likes to add more grass seeds, particularly sheep fescue and hard fescue. These grasses compete with the little sprouts of knotweed from root scraps that evaded your digging. He does not mow the grasses, which are relatively short.
Pete explained that he uses an IPM or Integrated Pest Management approach to controlling knotweed, including micro-doses of herbicides, just “ounces per acre.” He is licensed to apply pesticides, to help in the process, but cautions that homeowners should not attempt using herbicides. Even herbicides like Roundup, widely touted as safe, can have negative impacts on beneficial plants and soil fungi.
Getting control of a knotweed infestation will take at least three years, Pete said, and each year he uses less herbicide. The “shelf life” of the roots is about nine years, he said, after which they will no longer be viable. Until that time, a site needs to be carefully monitored and appropriate steps taken each year.
When I visited his knotweed control site last summer Pete showed me how competition can help control knotweed. He planted a clump of hemlocks about 6 feet tall, shoulder to shoulder, after removing knotweed roots. They effectively outcompeted the knotweed, even if not completely eliminating the few new shoots that appear each year. He applies micro-doses of herbicide to finish it off.
Knotweed does best in full sun and moist soil, so creating shade near a site will slow it down some. And human activity can discourage it, too. High foot traffic will slow it down.
So maybe you don’t have to sell your house just because you have knotweed. But be prepared to battle it for years. And for those of us committed to organics, we may have to live with a little knotweed.
Featured photo: Japanese knotweed is an attractive plant, but nearly impossible to get rid of. Courtesy photo.
This all started with a troll; more specifically, the Heritage Troll, a large wooden sculpture built by artist Tom LeComte and placed along a trail behind Stark Park in Manchester. My daughter, ever the little explorer, took about one minute to find the troll, and about 10 seconds to ask, “Are there more?”
Finding the answer to that question took me down a decades-long road of city planning and sustainable design, all of which may be coming to a head this spring in a way that could change the infrastructure of transportation in the Merrimack Valley.
But first, the troll.
Mounted map of Stark Park trails, illustrated by artist Peter Noonan
The installation is part of the newly refurbished trail system behind the park that organizers call Walk in the Woods. In the summer and fall of 2021, the lower 15 acres of Stark Park were redesigned and landscaped back to the walking park originally envisioned when the Heritage Trail was designed and built along the Merrimack River. Charming bridges now span babbling brooks, park benches are set up to rest weary feet, and a tree troll — sitting nearly as high as my daughter is tall — now casts a watchful eye out over the river.
During our hike I noticed how close the new (old) trail system is to the Merrimack River. But there are no spur trails to take a walker out there and the reason is the active set of railroad tracks that runs from Manchester to Concord along the river and divides the park from the river.
For 12 years various biking/walking and developing groups have been trying to convince Pan Am Railways to allow rail trails to be built alongside their active tracks, said Jason Soukup, the board secretary of Manchester Moves, one of the organizations working on rail trail projects around the city. The problem right now is liability.
“We found a gap in New Hampshire law, compared to other states like Maine, in the current Rec Use Law on the books that doesn’t protect the railway,” he said. “We’re trying to change that.”
Last year Pan Am sold the railway to CSX Transportation, a railway company that already has established active use railroad lines right next to rail trails around the country.
“If we give them liability protection, they’ll do it,” said Soukup.
On Jan. 20, House Bill 1579 (The Rail with Trail Bill) was introduced into the House Judiciary Committee for study. This May, when the railroad sale is finalized, supporters say passing the bill will protect the railway from liability and open the door to rail trail development.
Beside Manchester Moves, the bill is supported by a wide coalition of rail trail supporters, including the New Hampshire Rail Trail Coalition, The City of Manchester, the Friends of Stark Park, New Hampshire DOT and the Rails to Trails Conservancy in Washington, D.C.
While it may seem strange that such a coalition is putting this much support behind a fairly obscure bipartisan bill, there’s a much larger picture here to consider.
Should the bill pass and the railway relent to allow a rail trail to be built alongside its tracks, that would connect a critical 31-mile “gap” in the Granite State Rail Trail. The nearly contiguous 125-mile rail trail that runs from Salem to Lebanon is missing one critical section: the piece between Manchester and Concord. Connect that part along the active tracks, and one could in theory walk or bike the entire length of the trail without having to touch a road.
“Imagine, for tourism and connectivity, being able to get on your bike and ride safely wherever you want,” Soukup said. “A community you can connect to without having to use a car is a better community.”
Rail Trail supporters have never been so close to making the statewide corridor a reality. And rail trails, in general, make perfect routes for beginner walkers who want to experience hiking during all seasons.
But while we wait for May, Walk in the Woods and the Heritage Trail, which continues on for another two miles behind the Youth Services Center off River Road, is open for exploration.
Meanwhile, to answer my daughter’s question, the Manchester Trolls may well be multiplying. Word has it that plans are in the works to find homes for several others, including somewhere along the Rockingham Trail. And don’t be surprised if Arms Park suddenly becomes a troll home.
“This all falls under the umbrella of making our neighborhoods better,” Soukup said. “We want to encourage people to stay here, explore local places, and that means investing in those places.”
Dan Szczesny is a long time journalist and hiker and a member of New Hampshire’s 4,000-footer club. He’s written travel memoirs about Nepal and Alaska and about hiking with kids. His latest books include The White Mountain: Rediscovering the Hidden Culture of Mount Washington and NH Rocks That Rock: An Adventure Guide to 25 Famous Boulders in the Granite State. He lives in Manchester with his wife and daughter. See danszczesny.com
Featured photo: The author’s daughter finds the Rail Troll, a sculpture by artist Tom LeComte. Photo by Dan Szczesny.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• High standards: The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s triennial exhibit “Setting the Standard” is on view now through March 31 at its headquarters gallery (49 S. Main St., No. 100, Concord). The exhibit features new works by 45 League jurors, master craftsmen who volunteer to work with League hopefuls and review their work to uphold the League’s standard of artistic excellence. A variety of media is represented, including wood, textile, clay and metal. “These works … will reflect the spirit of the maker,” League executive director Miriam Carter said in a press release. “Given the difficulties faced during the past several months, the work of our members takes on an almost indomitable nature, mixing the strength and resilience of the artists with the vulnerability that we have all experienced,” Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Pieces are for sale and can be picked up when the exhibit closes. Visit nhcrafts.org or call 224-3375.
• Disney classic: The Riverbend Youth Company presents The Lion King Jr. at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford), with showtimes on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 6, at 2:30 p.m. Based on the 1994 Disney animated film, the coming-of-age musical follows a lion cub named Simba as he struggles to find his inner strength to confront his evil uncle so he can claim his rightful place on the throne in his beloved Pride lands. It features classic numbers like “Hakuna Matata,” “Circle of Life” and “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.” “Like any good musical, Lion King Jr. has a great depth of different musical styles that add much to the experience of the show,” musical director Kimberly Vars Whitehead told the Hippo last month. “Each song sets important dialogue to music so the audience hears the story in a different way.” The show is performed by a cast of 50 young performers, ranging in age from 9 through 14, with stage tech and lighting run by a team of high school and middle school students. “Our cast has put in a great deal of time and effort under difficult circumstances, and they’ve risen to the occasion,” director Mike McKnight told the Hippo last month. “I think the audience will like the … production because it’s kids doing what they truly enjoy.” Tickets cost $12 for adults and $8 for children and seniors. Visit amatocenter.org or call 672-1002.
• Auto art: The paintings of New Hampshire Art Association artist William Turner are on display in an exhibit, “Vehicular Narratives,” now through Feb. 28, at The Art Center (located inside the Washington Mill, 1 Washington St., Suite 1177, Dover). Turner worked in the auto body restoration business for 30 years before becoming a full-time painter, earning BFA and MFA degrees in visual arts and painting from the former New Hampshire Institute of Art (now the Institute of Art and Design at New England College). His oil paintings, which he describes as “narrative realism,” have depicted distressed vehicles and machinery, vintage toys and stories from Greek and Roman mythology and folklore told through imagery of automobiles. All works are for sale. “Vehicular Narratives” is the first NHAA exhibit to be installed at The Art Center as a result of a newly formed partnership between the NHAA and the 6,000-plus-square-foot art space. Gallery hours at The Art Center are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with private appointments available by request. The exhibition can also be accessed via an online gallery. Call 978-6702 or visit nhartassociation.org or theartcenterdover.com.
ART
Exhibits
• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now through Feb. 13. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. 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 under age 13 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. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “IMPRESSIONS: NATURE” The New Hampshire Art Association presents an exhibit featuring the work of Allenstown artist Daniela Edstrom. Edstrom’s art explores the abstract qualities of light, form and color found in the New England landscape. On view now through Feb. 17. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (49 S. Main St., Concord). Gallery hours at the Chamber are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All works are for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• “TRANSLATING NATURE INTO FABRIC” Exhibition features nature-inspired artistic quilts by Ellen Fisher. Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St., Nashua. On view through Feb. 26, during library hours. Visit nashualibrary.org.
• “AS PRECIOUS AS GOLD: CARPETS FROM THE ISLAMIC WORLD” Exhibit features 32 carpets dating from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Feb. 27. 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 under age 13 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. Visit currier.org.
• “FOR THE LOVE OF IMPRESSION” Exhibit features prints created using traditional techniques and materials, combined with contemporary aesthetics, new materials, and technology. Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St., Contoocook). Feb. 11 through March 5. Visit twovillagesart.org.
Workshops and classes
• PASTEL PAINTING WORKSHOP Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Sat., Feb. 26, 1 to 4 p.m. The cost is $40. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com.
THEATER
Shows
• THE FULL MONTY presented by the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Jan. 28 through Feb. 20, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon. Tickets cost $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.
• MARY & ME Produced by Glass Dove Productions. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Jan. 28 through Feb. 13. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.
• I LOVE YOU BECAUSE presented by Jonesing for Theatre, in collaboration with Dive in Productions. The Players’ Ring Theatre (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth). Feb. 4 through Feb. 20, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets cost $28 for adults and $25 for seniors age 65 and up and students. Visit playersring.org or call 436-8123.
• THE 39 STEPS presented by the Windham Actors Guild. Searles School and Chapel (3 Chapel Road, Windham). Fri, Feb. 18, and Sat., Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m., and Sun., Feb. 20, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $12 for seniors, students and military. Call 247-8634 or visit windhamactorsguild.com.
• LIFESPAN OF A FACT Produced by Lend Me a Theater. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Feb. 18 through March 6. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.
• DEADLY Cue Zero Theatre Co. presents. Granite State Arts Academy (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem). Fri., March 4, through Sun., March 6. Visit cztheatre.com.
• LITTLE WOMEN The Franklin Footlight Theatre presents. Franklin Opera House (316 Central St., Franklin). Thurs., March 10, through Sat., March 12, 7:30 p.m.; and Sun., March 13, 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for students and seniors. Visit franklinoperahouse.org.
• BYE BYE BIRDIE Presented by The Palace Theatre. 80 Hanover St., Manchester. March 11 through April 3. Tickets cost $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org.
Classical
• “WINTER VOYAGES” The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra performs. Seifert Performing Arts Center, 44 Geremonty Drive, Salem. Sat., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., and Sun., Feb. 20, 2 p.m. Visit nhphil.org.
• WINTER MAINSTAGE CONCERT The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra performs. The Music Hall Historic Theater, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth. Sun., March 13, 3 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $35 for adults, $20 for students and $25 to $30 for seniors age 60 and up. Call 436-2400 or visit themusichall.org.
Abstract images of nature captured in mixed media collages
Seeing goldenrod, touching tree bark, feeling lichen underfoot — those are the kinds of sensations that Daniela Edstrom is hoping you’ll experience when you walk into her “Expressions: Nature” exhibition.
Currently on display at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, the exhibition is made up of the Allenstown artist’s abstract mixed media collages, which combine digital images with traditional collage done by hand.
“The images aren’t literal,” Edstrom said. “I feel that they let the viewer wonder about what it’s like to be in that place. … I want it to be an experience of revelation and discovery where each time they look at the piece their interest is renewed, [that there’s] a constant visual discovery.”
Edstrom said she enjoys using both collage methods, with the traditional form of collage being more tactile with textured papers and the digital method offering an endless stream of non-copyrighted images that can be printed using archival inks and photographic paper.
“I love the computer,” Edstrom said. “I think it’s a wonderful free method of doing art.”
Edstrom takes her own photos too, finding inspiration close to home.
“I’m often in my yard photographing irises, tulips…,” she said. “I [also] spend a lot of time photographing the gardens around Allenstown. ”
In her neighborhood, Edstrom has photographed century-old lilac bushes, and throughout town she’s taken pictures of stone walls that date back to the colonial period and old passageways through the forests.
“There are paths that people have walked for centuries, or at least a hundred years, through Bear Brook [State Park],” she said. “[I like to capture] man’s presence in nature.”
Edstrom said it can take months to create a collage, often waiting for the right season or the right weather to get a photo that inspires her. She said she typically takes hundreds of photos during the spring and summer — but exploring nature to get those photos is one of her favorite parts of the artistic process.
“It’s very therapeutic, meditative, noticing lichens and mushrooms and looking for tracks of the animals,” she said. “It’s quite poetic.”
Edstrom uses a standard point-and-shoot camera, then downloads the images, combs through them to find the ones that most intrigue her, color-enhances them in Photoshop if she thinks it will add vibrancy to the collage, then prints them and starts working with cut papers.
One of the pieces in her show, “Boppin’ Blossoms,” features a printed photo of an iris.
“Then, inspired by the colors of the iris, I printed colored papers … and collaged them onto the surface, trying to feel the sensation of the flower, the feelings of spring, using color to express emotion,” she said. “I’m fascinated by the emotions that nature is capable of producing in ways that no … technology can.”
A member of the New Hampshire Art Association, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts of Naples and graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in art history, Edstrom has been creating for decades. She has shown her paintings, collages, mixed media and other art in solo, juried and group exhibitions locally, nationally and abroad.
She’s currently working on her next solo show, planned for this summer; “Fantastical Flora” will feature 18×24 mixed media collages. And Edstrom is also trying to get into encaustic art.
“It’s a nice challenge,” she said. “It’s freeing because you can use found objects, found paper … [you can] create from scratch using what is available to you.”
“Expressions: Nature”
Where: The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center, 49 S. Main St., Suite 104, Concord When: Now through Feb. 14 Visit: danielaedstrom.com
Featured Photo: Blossoms light Bound. Collage by Daniela Edstrom.Courtesy photo.
Ax throwing, escape rooms and other ideas for fun group outings
Learn from the ax-perts
Bury the hatchet with your friends
By Matt Ingersoll
mingersoll@hippopress.com
Ax throwing is one of those sports that gets you hooked the first time you try it — at least that’s how it started for Tracey McCormick, owner and founder of RelAxe Throwing in Manchester.
“I actually went down to Texas on a family vacation, went ax throwing on a fluke and fell in love with it immediately,” she said. “I couldn’t believe how good it felt and how much fun it was at the same time. … I remember looking around the room at all the different types of people that were there. People were cheering each other on, even when they didn’t know each other.”
When McCormick returned to New Hampshire and realized there were no indoor ax throwing venues in the state at the time, she began working on a business plan to bring one here. Today, RelAxe Throwing holds four ax throwing leagues per year and has even had throwers represented at three world ax throwing championship competitions.
But you don’t have to be a professional thrower to give it a go. McCormick’s team of “ax-perts” is always on hand to teach you the basics if you’ve never tried it before.
“Ax throwing is not about strength or trying to throw hard. It’s about finesse and technique,” she said. “We work with people of all varying abilities … and so we can adapt some of the things that are needed for their safety in order for them to be successful as well.”
It’s a similar operation at The Rugged Axe, which opened on South Willow Street in the Queen City last June. Co-owner and longtime Goffstown resident Charles Keith dreamed about opening his own ax throwing business after trying it out while visiting his son in Pensacola, Florida.
“Anybody can throw an ax. We’ve had a 90-year-old man throw one and be able to get a bull’s-eye. The skillset is really just hand-eye coordination,” Keith said. “We teach everybody how to do both a two-handed throw and a one-handed throw. … The ax will typically rotate one and a quarter to one and a half times depending on how hard you throw it, and it’s top heavy, so the weight of the ax is actually what makes it rotate. You don’t have to use your wrists at all.”
There are lots of different ax throwing games you can play. In a typical standard game, you would get 10 throws and the player with the most points wins. Each ring on the target is worth a different number of points that increases the closer you get to the bull’s-eye. There are also other ways to score, Keith said, including smaller blue dots that are awarded a higher number of points if the player announces before throwing that they’re aiming for it.
Two of The Rugged Axe’s 18 lanes have a projector that superimposes a target onto the boards, allowing throwers to play other games like Tic-Tac-Toe or Duck Hunt. The venue is open weekly for private parties and for leagues you can sign up for, either individually or as a group.
“It’s such a wonderful activity that’s competitive and a great way to get your aggression out, especially in Covid times,” Keith said. “You can always tell when somebody hits the bull’s-eye, because there’s some yelling and screaming going on from that lane. It’s very satisfying.”
Where to go ax throwing Closed-toe shoes are required and a safety waiver must be filled out. For groups, booking in advance online is recommended; reserve your own lanes by telling them how many people are coming and how long you’ll be throwing for.
Axe Play 142 Lowell Road, Unit 19, Hudson, 809-9081, axe-play.com Hours: Monday through Thursday, 4 to 9 p.m.; Friday, 1 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m. Cost: $25 per hour per person Axe Play, which opened in August 2020, features seven ax throwing lanes for a total of 14 targets. Ax throwers must be at least 18, with the exception of family hours on specific days and times, when the center is open to kids ages 10 and up.
Block Party Social 51 Zapora Drive, Hooksett, 621-5150, blockpartysocial.com Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight Cost: $30 per hour per person (includes a $5 arcade game card) Formerly the Space Entertainment Center, Block Party Social features a newly renovated space that includes an eight-lane ax throwing lounge with multiple game formats to choose from using superimposed screens and a touch screen interface to keep track of players’ scores. Ax throwers must be at least 18.
RelAxe Throwing 157 Gay St., Manchester, 782-3061, relaxethrowing.com Hours: Monday and Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) Cost: $25 per hour per person Since opening in June 2019 as an indoor ax throwing venue, RelAxe has added seasonal outdoor throwing, including through an expansion at Candia Springs Adventure Park in Candia, and has had throwers represented at three world ax throwing championship competitions. The minimum age to throw is 10, and all throwers under the age of 16 must have a throwing adult with them.
The Rugged Axe 377 S. Willow St., Manchester, 232-7846, theruggedaxe.com Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 11 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. (the center is reserved for leagues on Mondays and private events on Tuesdays) Cost: $25 per hour per person One of the newer spots to join the local ax throwing scene, The Rugged Axe opened in June 2021. It’s also the largest indoor ax throwing venue in the Granite State, with a total of 18 lanes. Ax throwers as young as 12 years old are welcome. A small menu of hot dogs, snacks, beer and wine is available at the center’s onsite “Lumberjack Shack.”
Party of you
Get your own mini restaurant with igloo dining
By Matt Ingersoll
mingersoll@hippopress.com
Enjoying a meal inside a warm heated igloo keeps outdoor dining alive in the winter and gives you and your own party space. Here’s a list of local eateries offering outdoor igloos by reservation. Due to high demand, some may require you to book them out several days, weeks or more in advance. Be sure to contact each restaurant directly via phone or email for the most up-to-date availability.
• 603 Brewery (42 Main St., Londonderry, 404-6123, 603brewery.com) features heated igloos on its patio that accommodate seating for up to eight people. Igloos are available to rent for two-hour time slots for a $50 rental fee per party. Time slots are released online one month at a time.
Averill House Vineyard in Brookline. Courtesy photo.
• Averill House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com) offers a “vine to wine” igloo and gazebo experience package, available for two to eight people per party. The cost is $100 for the first two people and $50 for each additional person and includes four wine tastings and a charcuterie board inside one of the vineyard’s heated igloos for a one-hour-and-45-minute visit.
• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) offers luxury outdoor dining at its onsite igloo garden, accommodating up to six people per party and featuring heat and air filtration systems. Igloos can be reserved for up to two and a half hours, offering the BVI’s tavern and dining room menus, except on holidays, in addition to a special Simi wine and cocktail menu. The cost is $50 to reserve an igloo for lunch and $100 to reserve one for brunch or dinner (brunches are on Saturdays and Sundays only).
• Boston Billiard Club & Casino (55 Northeastern Blvd., Nashua, 943-5630, bostonbilliardclubcasino.com) has a few heated igloos on its patio that are available by reservation only. Igloos have a two-hour limit and can be reserved for parties of up to five.
• Downtown Cheers Grille & Bar (17 Depot St., No. 1, Concord, 228-0180, cheersnh.com) has four heated igloos on its patio that can be reserved for parties of four to eight people. Reservations are two hours per party and require a $50 deposit that’s applied to your bill.
• Tuscan Market (Tuscan Village, 9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) offers “al fresco igloo dining experience” packages that can accommodate two to six guests per party. The cost is a $150 spend minimum on weekdays and a $250 spend minimum on weekends.
Take aim at your friends
Get messy with paint or hit ’em with lasers
By Alexandra Colella
news@hippopress.com
Want a little healthy competition among your friend group? Paintball and laser tag give you the chance to fight in a fun way — or you can ramp up the mess factor with a private party in a paint splatter room.
Paintball
AG Paintball (158 Deering Center Road, Weare, 529-3524, agpaintball.com) opened in 1988 and today is one of the longest-running paintball parks in the Granite State. The park encompasses 30 acres with nine woodsball fields and one speedball field, and also offers an onsite pro shop with guns, masks and other accessories for sale. “[We have] many different themed paintball rooms that can pertain to any interests and likes,” said Rusty Glaze, Paintball Blogger at AG Paintball. Hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Their average paintball experience package when you come self-equipped is $30 per person. They also have rental packages starting at $40 per person. Private group parties can include 10 players or more to experience your own game of paintball with your group of friends.
OSG Paintball (1053 N. Barnstead Road, Center Barnstead, 1-800-707-7529, osgpaintball.com) is the largest paintball park in the state, with 44 acres and 12 playing fields. Every field is themed, including Star Wars, Pirate Cove, Empire Castle, Hamburger Hill and more, and games can also have themes of their own, like Westerns, Call of Duty, The Simpsons, Family Guy and The Goonies. The park is closed for the winter but is scheduled to reopen March 5. Private parties are available seven days a week with a reservation required. Packages include a private group of 10 or more people for a full day for $49.99 or a half day for $39.99, with full-impact and low-impact options available.
Paint splatter
Rage Cage NH (10 W. Hollis St., Nashua, 402-4197, ragecagenh.com) features a paint splatter room that’s open to all ages. Have a glow paint party with ultraviolet black lights, bubble and fog machines and whatever music you want for $30 per person for an hour, with up to eight people per party. A regular paint splatter party without the glow is $20 per person, with up to 20 people allowed (contact Rage Cage if you have more than 20 people). When you book a paint party online, you pay for just one person to reserve the room for the full hour. For a regular paint splatter party, every participant can pick out 10 colors of washable paint, a 12×12’’ canvas and safety goggles, and additional upgrades are available, like throwable paintballs ($5 to $20), more colors ($2 per color), larger canvases ($5 to $10) and stencils ($10) to make your art. Paint parties do not come with jumpsuits, but white hooded jumpsuits are available for $10 each. For glow parties, participants can pick out 14 colors of UV-reactive washable paint, a 12×12’’ canvas and safety goggles, along with any preferred upgrades. Rage Cage NH hours are noon to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Laser tag
Block Party Social (51 Zapora Drive, Hooksett, 621-5150, blockpartysocial.com) is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m to 10 p.m and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to midnight. The price for the laser tag arena is $22 per person for a 30-minute experience (this includes a $5 arcade game card).
Hilltop Fun Center (165 Route 108, Somersworth, 742-8068, hilltopfuncenter.com) is open Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 8 p.m., Friday from 3 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Laser tag prices are $14 for a 30-minute session and $22 for two 30-minute sessions; each session includes three six-minute games. On Friday and Saturday, laser mania is $25 per person, with unlimited laser tag from 5 to 9 p.m. You can also rent out the entire arena for your own group for $300 for the first hour and $100 for additional hours.
Break free with your buddies
Escape rooms offer a safe activity for groups
By Angie Sykeny
asykeny@hippopress.com
Since New Hampshire’s first escape room, Granite State Escape, opened in 2015, escape rooms have been popular destinations in the state for group outings and private events like birthday parties, bachelor and bachelorette parties, school trips and corporate team-builders. Now, in pandemic times, escape rooms offer something even more valuable:
“I think that people are wanting to once again enjoy the company of others while participating in a fun, safe and interactive experience together,” said Pamela Provencher, owner of Granite State Escape in Manchester. “[Because] escape rooms allow groups to stay in their bubble, escape rooms [are a way] for some folks to begin to safely venture out again while also being … a fun night out for the more adventurous.”
Players do puzzles, solve riddles and crack codes by physically engaging with items in the room in a race against the clock to complete the room’s overall objective. A “gamemaster” explains the backstory, objective and rules to the players and monitors the room remotely during the game, maintaining audio communications with the players to ensure their safety and to provide hints, should they get stuck.
“Escape the Library,” an escape room at Escape Room Concord. Courtesy photo.
Escape rooms are unique in that they appeal to a wide range of people, Escape Room Concord owner Gregory Slossar said, making them a great outing for mixed groups.
“There are few activities out there that offer multi-generational entertainment,” he said. “Escape rooms are great for friends who want to do something fun before or after dinner, or families who are looking to do something with their children that makes everyone put down their phones for an hour, or a place where co-workers can come together as a team and bond on a personal level.”
Christopher McCarthy, who is the co-owner, operations manager and resident gamemaster at The Escape Room Experience in Laconia, said escape rooms are an opportunity for people to let go of whatever is on their mind and be transported to another world where their only focus is to complete the objective of the room.
“It gives you an active goal, with minimal distractions,” he said. “It’s an environment catered to challenging your brain while in a physical space designed to grab your attention and keep it there.”
McCarthy said he is especially excited about The Escape Room Experience’s new room, “Serial Killer Cabin,” which pays homage to classic 1980s slasher films.
“As the designer, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished within the space,” he said. “I feel like, atmospherically, we knocked it out of the park.”
Policies for players vary per escape room. Some escape rooms accept walk-ins, but most require booking in advance. The number of players allowed typically ranges from couples to groups of up to 10 or 12 people, but certain rooms may have their own limit. Families and groups with children should check on the escape room’s age restrictions or recommendations before they go as some rooms may be frightening, atmospherically, or too challenging for young players.
Escape rooms have been taking various safety precautions to prevent the spread of Covid, such as allowing more time between groups to clean and sanitize the rooms and to ensure that the groups don’t run into each other in the lobby area; requiring their staff to be vaccinated; requiring or encouraging staff and players to wear masks; and installing air filter machines.
“We believe escape rooms truly are one of the safest things you can choose to participate in,” said Lara Barkley, creative director at Key to Escape in Nashua. “Not even the movie theater or bowling alley can keep you out of the same room with groups of people you don’t know.”
Play an escape room
• 102 Escape, 123 Nashua Road, Unit 34, Londonderry, 260-6198, 102escape.com • Break Free 603, 141 Route 101A, Amherst, 424-1758, breakfree603.com • Escape Room Concord, 240 Airport Road, Concord, 225-2271, escaperoomconcordnh.com • The Escape Room Experience, 555 Main St., Suite A, Laconia, 366-6296, theescaperoomexperience.live • Granite State Escape, 795 Elm St., Manchester, 935-7455, escapenh.com • Key To Escape, 3 Bud Way, Unit 21, Nashua, 809-4018, keytoescape.com • LOK’d! Room Escape, 1500 S Willow St., Manchester, 945-3113, lokdrocks.com • Monkey Mind Escape Rooms, 10 Vaughan Mall, Portsmouth, 498-8997, monkeymindescape.com • Portsmouth Escape Room, 95 Brewery Lane, No. 13, Portsmouth, 380-9160, portsmouthescaperoom.com
Featured photo: Photo courtesy of The Rugged Axe in Manchester.
Let Enter the Haggis kick off the weekend spirit early tonight at 8 p.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Admission costs $18 for general admission, $25 for a reserved balcony seating (plus fees). Listen to songs from the band’s newest album, The Archer’s Parade, at enterthehaggis.com.
Some the other shows on the schedule at the Capitol Center for the Arts and the Bank of NH Stage: Spamilton — An American Parody on Friday, Feb. 4, at 8 p.m. at the Cap Center; Mike Daws and Yasmin Williams at the Bank of NH Stage on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m.; The Brothers Brothers at the Bank of NH Stage on Sunday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m., and, also at the Bank of NH Stage, Andrew North and the Rangers on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 8 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 3
Liven up your winter evening with a little poetry and music. Rob Azevedo will read from his book of poetry, Don’t Order the Calamari, and musicians Becca Myari and Todd Hearon will perform tonight at 6 p.m. at the Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in downtown Manchester; bookerymht.com). Admission is free but go online to register. Angie Sykeny talked to Azevedo when he released his first book of poetry, Turning on the Wasp; find that story in the May 6, 2021, issue of the Hippo (page 14). Click on “view more” under E-Editions to find older issues of the Hippo.
Friday, Feb. 4
Catch up with the University of New Hampshire team sending an experiment to the International Space Station tonight at 7 p.m. as part of the virtual Super Stellar Friday program at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827). Team Cooke NoMADS — Novel Methods of Antibiotic Discovery in Space — will explain their experiment and talk about their experiences working with NASA, according to the website, where you can register for this free virtual program.
The center is open for in-person visits, Fridays through Sundays with sessions from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission costs $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for students and seniors, $8.50 for children ages 3 to 12 and free for kids 2 and under. Planetarium tickets are an additional $5 per person. Reserve tickets for a session online in advance.
Friday, Feb. 4
Comedian Jim Colliton brings the laughs to the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) tonight at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased at the Palace website, where you can find a link to clips from Colliton’s DryBar sets.
Saturday, Feb. 5
Get some fresh produce and fresh baked goods and other must-haves for a yummy weekend at the Contoocook Farmers Market today from 9 a.m. to noon at Maple Street School (194 Maple St. in Contoocook).
Save the date! Galentine’s Day
Grab your besties and your vaccination card for a screening of Bridesmaids (R, 2011) on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 10 a.m. at Red River Theatres (11 S. Main St. in Concord; redrivertheatres.org, 224-4600). Tickets cost $12. The screening is a “snax and vax” screening, which means that the concession stand will be open and attendees are required to show proof of full vaccination.
