Grape expectations

Black Bear Vineyard to host Harvest Weekends

It’s peak grape picking season in New Hampshire, and a local vineyard is celebrating by inviting you to come out and enjoy freshly crushed juice, live music, food trucks, games and more.

Black Bear Vineyard in Salisbury offers wine tastings and tours throughout the year. But during its two Harvest Weekends, on Saturdays, Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, and Sundays, Sept. 27 and Oct. 4, you’ll be able to watch the fruit getting destemmed and crushed before you taste samples of the juice.

“It’s the only time visitors can try the juice that makes all the wines that we offer,” Black Bear Vineyard chief marketing officer Nick Jarvis said. “These weekends will be prime time for picking the grapes, because they will be at the optimal sugar levels.”

Between noon and 6 p.m. on any of the four days, people can come to the vineyards, watch the grape-harvesting process and try the juice — no reservations are necessary, but masks are encouraged when out on the vineyard and required when entering the indoor facility.

With five grape varieties grown on site and about 18 acres of rolling hills, Black Bear is one of the state’s largest vineyards, with lots of room to socially distance outdoors, Jarvis said.

“We’ve had a lot of great responses over the years, but this is the first year we’ve taken the extra step to really try to grow the event,” he said. “We’re ready for more people to come, especially in these times, when we’re looking for anything that will get us outside.”

A few local food trucks are expected to set up at the vineyard during the Harvest Weekends, beginning at noon. Mama’s on the Run, brought to you by the owners of Mama McDonough’s Irish Pub in Hillsborough, will be there on Sept. 26 and on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, according to Jarvis. The truck features a menu of American-style foods — some options even have their own Irish twist, like the Reuben burgers and the corned beef poutine. The Rochester-based Sausage Express food truck, with gourmet hot dog, sausage and sub options, will also be at the vineyard on Oct. 3.

Each live music act will perform at the vineyard from 2 to 5 p.m., Jarvis said, while games of cornhole will also be available. Singer-songwriter April Cushman will be there on Sept. 26, followed by Rory Scott on Sept. 27, Gabby Martin on Oct. 3 and Austin McCarthy on Oct. 4.

Jarvis said wine tasting tickets will also be available for sale at the vineyard for $12 per person, which usually include four to six different wines to sample, in addition to a tasting glass.

Harvest Weekends
When: Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 26 and 27, and Oct. 3 and 4, noon to 6 p.m.
Where: Black Bear Vineyard, 289 New Road, Salisbury
Cost: Free admission and parking
Visit: blackbearvineyard.com
No reservations are required. Masks or face-coverings are required when in the indoor facility.

Drive-thru Greek fests
There won’t be a Glendi Greek food festival in the traditional sense this year, but St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral (650 Hanover St., Manchester) is returning to bring you two drive-through events; the first, a Gyro Day, is happening on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Attendees can drive up for their gyro bag with chips and water for $10 (cash only). Then on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m., you can drive up for a lamb shank dinner for $20, which will include rice and green beans. Orders for that dinner must be placed by Oct. 11. Visit stgeorgeglendi.com.

More harvest happenings
For more grape harvesting fun, you can head to Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis) for its fourth annual New Hampshire Grape Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3, beginning at 11 a.m.

The event will feature wine tastings at the vineyard and photo opportunities in a grape stomping barrel before concluding with a live performance from comedian Paul D’Angelo at 7 p.m.
Fulchino Vineyard owner and winemaker Al Fulchino said the event is in line with the conclusion of the harvesting season for its more than 20 varieties of grapes.
A similar event, the Hollis Grape Festival, was held earlier this month on the town common.
The vineyard will also soon be overseeing the make-up dates of its commemoration of National Drink Wine Weekend during the weekend of Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, after the event was rescheduled from earlier this year.
“We have five wineries participating and for a $20 ticket, people can go around and taste four wines at each location throughout the weekend,” said Fulchino, whose vineyard is one of the participants, in addition to Averill House Vineyard in Brookline, Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry, Apollo Vineyards in Derry and Winnipesaukee Winery in Wolfeboro.

Visits will be open to ticket holders from 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. Tickets are available for purchase at fulchino-vineyard-inc.square.site and also include a commemorative tasting glass.

Featured Photo: Photo courtesy of Black Bear Vineyard.

The Weekly Dish 20/09/24

News from the local food scene

• Oktoberfest celebrations: To Share Brewing Co. (720 Union St., Manchester) will host its Oktoberfeston Saturday, Sept. 26, from noon to 9 p.m., featuring a triple beer release in drafts and cans (of an altbier, a double IPA and a blueberry and raspberry sour), raffle tickets and T-shirts for sale, and food specials like pretzels, bratwursts with sauerkraut and German-style potato skins. Reservations and masks are required — for the duration of the event, there are 90-minute reservation blocks with 15 minutes between them dedicated to cleaning and sanitizing. Email [email protected] to make a reservation. And The Hills Restaurant at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road, Milford) will offer an Oktoberfest specials menu from Thursday, Oct. 1, through Saturday, Oct. 3, featuring appetizers, like obatzda (seasoned beer and cheese spread with pretzel and radishes) and apfelmostsuppe (creamy apple cider soup); entrees, like wienerschnitzel (pan seared breaded veal), brathendl (half roasted chicken), schweinhaxen (crispy slow-cooked pork shank) and sauerbraten (wine and vinegar braised beef); and desserts, like apfelkuchle (apple ring fritters and vanilla ice cream), as well as a selection of Oktoberfest beers and specialty cocktails. Visit hampshirehills.com.

• Canterbury farmers market to conclude: The final date of the Canterbury Community Farmers Market’s summer season is set for Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Elkins Public Library (9 Center Road, Canterbury). Since early June the market has featured around 20 local vendors on average, selling fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, artisan cheeses, meats, personal care products and more. The indoor winter markets this year have been canceled, so the final market on Sept. 30 will also feature several specialty vendors to help you get ready for the holidays, like note and holiday cards, mittens from repurposed wool sweaters and fresh wreaths for preorder, plus soups from the Friends of the Elkins Library. Visit canterburyfarmersmarket.com.

• Cafe One East now open in Warner: A new cafe offering specialty coffees, baked goods and other items is now open in Warner. Cafe One East opened Sept. 5 at 1 E. Main St., the former space of Schoodacs, which had closed its doors earlier this year. Although the shop is now under new ownership with a new name, Cafe One East features a menu similar to that of its predecessor, with brewed coffees and espresso drinks, fresh smoothies, doughnuts, breakfast sandwiches, and several rotating hot dishes for lunch, like soups, chilis and macaroni and cheese. Find them on Facebook @cafeoneeast.

Putting the garden to bed

Get started early to avoid the cold

This year I resolve to get my garden put to bed early so I am not wearing gloves and long johns as I cut back the daylilies on cold, wet fall days.

First on my list is the need to sow some grass seed. I have places where my lawn was killed when a torrential downpour dumped sand from my road onto the lawn. Fall is a better time to sow seed because the ground is warmer and it will germinate quickly. In the spring, seed can rot during cold, wet weather. I will spread some topsoil or compost to improve the soil, then mix it in with a short-tined rake. After spreading seed, I will cover it with a layer of straw. That will help to keep the soil and seeds from drying out, though I will water occasionally if it gets dry.

Chrysanthemums are for sale now at farm stands, and I purchased a few pots of them to brighten up the front yard. I treat them as annuals, even though some of them are perennial. But the growers cut back the plants as they grow, causing them to branch out and produce hundreds of blossoms on bigger plants. If I let them over-winter, the plants would have some flowers, but never so many as what the professionals produce. It’s worth it to me to buy a few each fall.

Mums in pots tend to dry out quickly, so I have been soaking mine in my birdbath. That way the pots suck up water, getting it down deep. I could actually plant my mums in the ground, but I like them in pots on the front steps or in my wooden wheelbarrow. They need water every few days.

This is also the time of year when I move shrubs. I recently moved a diervilla, one called Kodiak. It was given to me years ago, and it was crowded in between a crab apple tree and a red-veined enkianthus. I decided it needed more space to grow, and I wanted to expose a stone wall behind it. So I dug it up.

This shrub is about three feet tall and wide and had been in the ground more than five years. I used a shovel called a drain spade: a spade with a long, narrow blade. I pushed it into the ground at a 45-degree angle in four places around the bush. Each time I pushed the shovel handle down to lift the shrub slightly. Then, when I’d gone all around it, I got the spade under the middle of the plant, pushed down hard, and popped it right out. I tugged on the plant and pulled it loose, roots and all. Some were cut by my shovel, others not. I moved it to its new home, covered the roots and watered well. A week later it looks fine.

The vegetable garden is winding down, and as each crop is harvested, I weed the row and apply mulch as needed to keep wind-blown seeds from finding a home. My favorite mulch consists of chopped fall leaves: I run over leaves on the lawn with my lawnmower to chop them, and rake them onto a tarp, which I drag down to the vegetable garden. It’s too early for leaves, so I’m using straw for now.

When cleaning up the vegetable garden it’s important to keep diseased plants separate from healthy ones (which go on the compost pile). I generally have a location for noxious weeds and diseased plants and do not use that material after it breaks down, or not for many years.

I tend to get a little lackadaisical about the perennial flower gardens late in the season. Weeds and grasses have a way of showing up there, and by pulling them now, the work will be less in the spring. Cindy and I have done a pretty good job of mulching the flower gardens this year using a ground hemlock bark mulch, though some weeds push on through. This is a good time to get rid of those rascals.

I cut back some flowers in the fall but like to leave some tall perennials — birds enjoy their seeds, and some beneficial insects need places to lay their eggs, or to use as shelter. On the other hand, there is a lot to do in the spring, and cleaning up the flower beds now reduces the work later on. Cutting back perennials with a pair of pruning shears is tedious. I prefer to use a serrated harvest sickle that allows me to slice through a handful of stalks in one quick motion.

This is also a good time to divide perennials to make more plants. Peonies, for example, are best divided and moved in late September to mid-October. Dig up daylilies, phlox or asters now the way you would a shrub, and then use a small saw or root knife to divide it into two or more plants. Most plants like being divided, assuming you give them some compost and a little fertilizer

Featured Photo: Photo by Henry Homeyer.

The Art Roundup 20/09/24

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

• Closing exhibits: A number of local art exhibits are closing this week. Catch “Searching for Solace: Sacred Spaces/Sacred Places,” on view now through Sept. 27 at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen; 975-0015, twiggsgallery.wordpress.com). It features paintings, sculpture, textiles and ceramics by 13 artists exploring the concept of personal sanctuary, with a focus on nature. Hours are Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

Stop by the Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord; 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com) to see “Life’s Work: Occupations & Identity,” up now through Sept. 28 in the Carriage House Gallery. It features portrait photography by Maundy Mitchell that explores the evolution of trades and societal views on identity and jobs. Gallery hours are Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The New Hampshire Antique Co-op (323 Elm St., Milford; 673-8499, nhantiquecoop.com) has an exhibit and sale, “Abstract Paintings & Tribal Masks,” on display in the Tower Gallery now through Sept. 30. It features modernist 20th- and 21st-century paintings juxtaposed alongside a collection of Oceanic and African hand-carved masks and figural carvings. Co-op hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday by appointment. The co-op also has a virtual art exhibit and sale, “Summer Palettes: Impressionist & Modernist Works from the 19th century to Present,” viewable online now through Sept. 30.

• Theater in person…: The Hatbox Theatre’s (270 Loudon Road, Concord) mainstage production of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters continues through Sept. 27, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. The play centers on two childhood friends, Melissa and Andrew, who write letters to each other for their entire lives and develop a deep bond. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for students and seniors. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.

• … or theater from home: The Manchester Community Theatre Players present Blood on His Hands?, an original play by local playwrights Alan D. Kaplan and Tom Anastasi, with livestreamed performances on Fridays, Sept. 25 and Oct. 2, and Saturdays, Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. In the play, a fictional president, President Stump, is on trial for how he has handled the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving the audience to decide whether or not he is guilty of negligence. “We fully appreciate that politics can be divisory and people have strong opinions both for and against the way the coronavirus was handled, but we wanted this to be a conversation starter and chance for people to see both sides of the issue,” company manager Steve Short said in a press release. The play is free to watch. Visit manchestercommunitytheatre.com.

• Art at The Fells: The John Hay Estate at The Fells (456 Route 103, Newbury) hosts an Afternoon of Dance, Sculpture and Art on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. Visitors can follow a self-guided tour through the galleries, outdoor exhibit and around the estate grounds, where there will be dancers, sculptures, artwork and artists reflecting the theme “Stillness and Motion.” The cost of admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $4 for kids ages 6 through 17, and free for kids age 5 and under. Visit thefells.org.

• Shaker Village weekend: Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury), in partnership with Red River Theatres, presents a free outdoor movie night featuring Casablanca (1942) on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. The film will be shown on the lawn by the Meeting House. The following day, Saturday, Sept. 26, the Village is having a garage, tag and yard sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale will feature a wide variety of items, including books, decorations, furniture, household goods, DVDs, toys, games and more. Additionally, there will be a 50-percent-off sale on select items in the Village Store. Masks are required. Visit shakers.org.

Screen plays

Theatre Kapow opens new season with virtual performances

Like most theater companies pre-Covid, Theatre Kapow had a very different idea of what its 2020 season would look like. The Manchester-based company was just days away from beginning rehearsals for one of the two remaining shows in its 12th season when theaters were shut down in March.

After months of planning, Theatre Kapow is moving forward with its 13th season, titled “We Can Get Through This,” starting with a series of three one-person plays, each with four exclusively livestreamed performances.

“It was pretty clear early on that if we wanted to continue making theater at this time, we would have to do very, very small shows,” artistic director Matt Cahoon said. “We figured solo performances would be pretty much the safest thing to do right now.”

The series focuses largely on the idea of isolation and other themes that are very relevant to people today, Cahoon said, such as resilience, courage and conviction.

The first play, Feast, which runs Sept. 25 through Sept. 27, is being directed by Cahoon and performed by his wife, Carey Cahoon.

Written in 2019 by Megan Gogerty, Feast reimagines a villain from a well-known work of medieval English literature (you’ll have to watch the play to find out who it is) who is throwing a dinner party to confront society about its acts of injustice.

“Even though it’s telling this ancient story, it’s probably the most contemporary show I’ve ever directed,” Cahoon said. “It speaks very much to the current moment and even about living in the time of a virus.”

The second play, Lauren Gunderson’s Natural Shocks, runs Oct. 23 through Oct. 25 and is being directed by Wanda Strukus and performed by Rachael Longo. Based on the famous “To be or not to be” monologue from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the piece follows a woman, alone in her basement riding out a tornado, as she reflects on other threats in her life.

The third and final play, A Tempest Prayer by Peter Josephson (director and actor are TBD), runs Nov. 20 through Nov. 22 and is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

The plays, which are being shot in a small studio space in Manchester, are full theater productions with sets, costumes, props, lighting design and sound effects.

“It’s still theater, not film,” Cahoon said. “If people were here watching [in the studio], it would look like a regular live theater performance.”

Theatre Kapow “believes fervently” that there is something special about “the immediacy of a live performance,” Cahoon said, so there was no question that the company would livestream the plays rather than pre-record them.

“We’re doing a lot with [film elements], but doing the performances live and in the moment is what makes it theater,” Carey Cahoon added.

“If you go to the movies, you know that no matter what you do as an audience member, no matter what happens in the theater and no matter how you react, the movie isn’t going to change. It’s going to be the same every time you hit ‘play,’” Matt Cahoon said. “There is a tangible difference between that and watching something happening live and in real time. The actor puts out a different kind of energy, and people can feel that.”

The virtual format has posed a whole new set of considerations for the directors and the actors.

For example, Matt Cahoon said, when directing a play for the live stage, he watches the actor and directs the actor’s movements, but for Feast, he has been focusing his direction on the cameras, watching rehearsals on his computer screen so that he can “see what the audience is seeing.”

In many ways, the virtual format allows him to do more with the play than he could if it were being performed on a live stage, he added. For one thing, he has more control over what the audience fixes its attention on at every moment during the play.

“The staging of a play is a big part of the storytelling,” Carey Cahoon said. “It’s different [in the theater] obviously, since the human eye can see [a] wider [area] than a camera can, but in this format we can decide what we want the audience’s perspective [to be], so we’re thinking a lot about the different camera angles we’re using and what those angles mean dramatically.”

Additionally, cameras allow Matt Cahoon to give the audience perspectives that aren’t possible in a live theater, such as close-ups and overhead views.

“It’s really freeing,” Matt Cahoon said. “We [at Theater Kapow] have always prided ourselves on presenting our pieces with unique audience perspectives, and with the cameras, we can stay faithful to that approach, and we’re able to do even more and have a lot of fun with it.”

The virtual format is a unique opportunity for actors as well, Carey Cahoon said. When performing for a live audience in a theater, she said, she has to project her voice loudly to be heard and exaggerate her physical movements to be seen, but in Feast, she can give a more dynamic performance.

“I can be much quieter and do more subtle things and things with more nuance,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed the ability to explore a wider range as an actor.”

Carey Cahoon said she “spent a lot of time being bothered” about not being able to perform for an audience in person, but she has a different outlook now.

“I’ve realized that you can still create that shared environment,” she said, “because even though we can’t be in a shared space anymore, we can still be in shared time.”

Theatre Kapow’s 13th season: “We Can Get Through This”
Schedule
Feast – Sept. 25 through Sept. 27
Natural Shocks – Oct. 23 through Oct. 25
A Tempest Prayer – Nov. 20 through Nov. 22
When: Performances are on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m.
Where: Livestreamed online; ticket holders will be sent the link to watch the show
Cost: $10 per streaming device
More info: tkapow.com

Featured Photo: Carey Cahoon as Agathae in Feast. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

Quality of Life 20/09/24

Rising Stars of New Hampshire

The winners of the 2020 Rising Stars Awards, presented by Stay Work Play New Hampshire, were announced last week, honoring exceptional young people and the businesses that support them. The winners are:

Civic Leader of the Year: Hooksett resident Martin Toe, grassroots organizer intern for the American Friends Service Committee, and co-founder of Change for Concord

College Student of the Year: Barrington resident Juliana Good, senior at UNH

High School Student of the Year: Londonderry resident Erin Strike, senior at Londonderry High School

Intern of the Year: Auburn resident Madison Olsen, intern with Hinsdale School District

Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Manchester resident Shaquwan’Da Allen, owner of Rootz Natural Hair Shop

Young Professional of the Year: Lebanon resident Patrick Ho, Chief Resident, Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and president of the New Hampshire Psychiatric Society

Score: +1

Comment: Three finalists were selected for Coolest Company for Young Professionals: GYK Antler of Manchester, Nobis Group of Concord and Sunrise Labs of Bedford. One of these companies will be chosen as the “People’s Choice” recipient; check out each company’s virtual “Happy Hour” event, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m., to learn more about why they should be selected as the winner. Then vote online at bit.ly/RSA2020vote.

Race and remember

The Manchester Police Athletic League has turned its annual Footrace for the Fallen into a virtual event this year, while still honoring the race’s mission of remembering heroes who were lost in the line of duty and supporting the Queen City’s at-risk youth. According to a press release, the Manchester Police Department and PAL will host a drive-through bib pickup on Saturday, Oct. 3, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the police department’s parking lot, where you’ll be able to pick up your bib (and T-shirt, if you’re one of the first 500 people to register) and will be greeted by “many friendly faces who will provide you with everything you need from remembrances and giveaways to photo opportunities,” according to the release. You can then run your 5K anywhere, any time between 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, and 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5.

Score: +1

Comment: Visit runreg.com/footrace-for-the-fallen to register; the price is $25 for adults (18+) and $20 for youth.

Animals welcome?

New Hampshire has been ranked one of the least pet-friendly states in the country in a recently released report from home security company SafeWise. The 48 contiguous states were ranked on percentage of pet-friendly apartments; pet population; pets-left-in-car laws; veterinary reporting requirement laws; tether laws; anti-cruelty laws, and animal fighting paraphernalia laws. Our neighboring states of Vermont and Maine both made the top 10 for most pet-friendly states (ranked seventh and 10th, respectively), while elsewhere in New England, Connecticut joined New Hampshire in the top 10 least friendly states, ranking 10th and ninth, respectively.

Score: -1

Comment: Only 8 percent of New Hampshire’s rentals are pet-friendly, according to the report.

QOL score: 58

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 59

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

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