Tag: 200820

Good riddance

Three plants to avoid

Three plants you don’t want on your property are wild parsnips, purple loosestrife and Norway maples. The first causes severe skin reactions in many people, the second can take over our wetlands and the last can outcompete our native sugar maple — and eventually take over our woods.

Wild parsnip is in bloom now. It’s a tall plant, 24 to 60 inches, and has yellow blossoms arranged in flat flower panicles at the top of the stems. It looks a lot like Queen Anne’s lace. It is genetically the same plant as garden parsnips but has escaped and become a weed. Some people are horribly allergic to its sap.

Here’s how you and your kids can stay safe. Learn what it looks like, and avoid it. Sap from the stem, if on the skin and exposed to direct sunlight, can cause horrible burns. Not everyone reacts, however. Assume you do. If you get sap on you, go inside immediately and wash the affected area thoroughly.

Wild parsnip has a two-year cycle; the first year it stays low and develops a deep tap root. The second year it bolts and produces a tall flower stalk. If you have a field of wild parsnip, get it mowed before the flowers set seeds, and re-mowed until it gives up. The sooner you mow it, the less likely the flowers are to produce viable seeds after they are cut down.

First-year plants growing now will send up flower stalks next year. And each year, for a while, seeds in the ground will grow new plants. But each year there will be fewer, and eventually they will be gone.

This is the time of year when swampy areas often are ablaze with tall, pink-purple flowers that dominate the wetland. These are the flowers of purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), an invasive plant that you should not encourage — but that you probably can’t get rid of once established.

But why worry about it? It’s such an aggressive grower that it out-competes native plants. It moves into shallow wetlands where fish and frogs lay their eggs among native plants, creating dense monocultures. Biodiversity is healthy for the environment, and purple loosestrife inhibits many other kinds of plants from growing.

Mature plants develop massive root systems that can’t be dug out. They also develop long side-roots that will easily break off and start new plants if you try to remove the clumps.

A big clump can produce up to 2.7 million seeds in a year. And like time-release cold capsules, the seeds become active over time, not all in one year. And since they grow in wetlands, you can’t use herbicides.

If you have big, established plants the best thing to do is cut them down every summer, just above the soil line, preferably more than once. Do it now, and this should prevent them from producing seeds this year. It will also reduce the vigor of the plants. It won’t kill them, but it will keep them from spreading. A string trimmer will do the job, if you have one.

First- or second-year plants often show up in my garden near my stream but can be hand-pulled. Look for plants with a square stem that quickly get 18 to 24 inches tall and may have a reddish-brown tinge to their stems. Older plants get to be three to seven feet tall or more. Leaves are long and narrow with a smooth edge, and they attach directly to the stalk — without an attachment stem. Leaves generally appear in pairs, across from each other on a stalk. Many flower stems arise from the main stem.

Beetles from Europe have been introduced in some places to eat purple loosestrife, reducing populations by as much as 90 percent. But those beetles are not available for purchase, at least not yet. So if you have it, cut the plants down. Today!

Lastly, there is the Norway maple, a maple that will thrive anywhere — wet, dry, shady or sunny. It sends roots long distances, sucking up water and soil nutrients. It produces massive numbers of seeds, seeds that blow or wash away and end up in our woods. It can out-compete our native sugar maples, and will. Fortunately, it is now against the law to propagate, sell or transport these bad boys.

The most popular Norway maple is a cultivar called “Crimson King.” It has leaves that are a deep purple — almost black. Many cities and homeowners bought these 50 years ago and installed them. Removing them is difficult and expensive.

Here’s another problem: Crimson King is a hybrid, and its seeds rarely produce trees with that distinctive purple color. So they pass themselves off as sugar maples.

The leaves are a bit bigger and wider than sugar maples, but you can I.D. a Norway maple by picking a leaf. Look at the place where it snapped off: if it oozes a white sap, it is a Norway maple. If you have one, please consider having it removed.

Saving the world starts with small steps. If we each do what we can, we can leave the world a better place.

‘Crimson King’ Norway maple. Photo courtesy of Henry Homeyer.

The Art Roundup 20/08/20

• Film fest finishes season: The New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival, being held virtually, presents its final two films of the season, the Israeli drama Shooting Life on Thursday, Aug. 20, and the Latvian historical drama Paris Song on Thursday, Aug. 27. The Paris Song screening will include a post-movie discussion with the filmmaker on the following Sunday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. All screenings are free, with a suggested donation of $18 to support the festival and future programming. Advance registration is required. Visit nhjewishfilmfestival.com/2020-virtual.

• Author series comes to a close: The Tory Hill Author Series, presented virtually over Zoom by the Warner Historical Society, will have its final author event with storyteller Rebecca Rule and middle-grade and young adult novelist Adi Rule on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7 p.m. The authors will read from and discuss their books and personal experiences. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online. Visit toryhillauthorsseries.com.

• Forest inspiration: Catch “Tree & Twig” at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) before it’s gone on Saturday, Aug. 22. The art exhibit features paintings, photography, sculptures and works in other media by 10 local artists — Debra Claffey, Richard Gombar, Susan Lirakis, Laura Morrison, Katy O’Gorman, Adele Sanborn, Jean Stimmell, Pam Tarbell, Dave Therrien and Arielle Van De Water — that focus on the artists’ deep and personal connections to New Hampshire forests. Gallery hours are Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• One night, three plays: The Granite Playwrights present Loose Connections, a series of three one-act plays,at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Suite 1161, Concord) from Aug. 21 through Aug. 30, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Last Call,by Douglas Schwarz, follows a man who is struggling with the concept of fatherhood and sets out to make amends with his own long-deceased father. Doll House,by Jane Hunt, explores the question, “As the economy drags our personal fortunes to the brink, can hope, love, and memory keep us from going over?” Optimystyx, by Alan Lindsay, is about a game that exposes the secrets of an old-fashioned publishing house. Tickets cost $18 to $20 for adults and $15 to $17 for students and seniors. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.

• Learn music online: Manchester Community Music School will offer free online music classes this fall, according to a press release, to “help keep music students of all ages playing, singing and learning.” In “Woodwind Fundamentals,” flute and clarinet students in grades 6 through 12 who have had at least one year of study will learn the fundamentals of playing, new scales and finger patterns and instrumental solos. In “2G Chorus,” students in grades 3 through 8 will participate in song and movement activities to develop their singing skills, improvisation skills and creativity, and will develop a virtual choir project to share with parents and the public at the end of the course. Music theory classes for all ages and levels of ability will teach beginner students about note names, intervals and scales, and intermediate students about composer styles, chord progressions and topics of interest. Space is limited, so register soon. Call 548-8085 or visit mcmusicschool.org.

Art by Katy O’Gorman featured in “Tree & Twig” at Twiggs Gallery. Courtesy photo.

Find art outdoors

Watch artists at work, hunt clay monsters and browse a bazaar, plus more in-person arts events

It’s been a trying year for the art world. Galleries and theaters have been closed, art shows and festivals have been canceled and artist collaborations have been forced to go remote or stop altogether. But things are looking up. As restrictions on public gatherings are lightened, some arts organizations have found a way to still hold their events, and to do so safely: take it outdoors.

Nashua International Sculpture Symposium

The sculptors for this year’s Nashua International Sculpture Symposium had already been selected by the time a state of emergency was declared. Jina Lee from Australia (originally from South Korea), Jorg Van Daele from Belgium and Taylor Apostol from the Boston area were expected to arrive in Nashua in May, but the travel ban made that impossible, and with the quarantine order in place, the Symposium’s start date of May 7 was out of the question.

Because the symposium takes place entirely outdoors, organizers and the City of Nashua were hopeful that they could still hold the event later in the year. They set a new tentative start date of Aug. 20 and invited two sculptors from the U.S. — Elijah Ober of Maine and Kelly Cave of Pennsylvania — to join Apostol and take the places of Lee and Van Daele.

“We felt that, if we could figure out a way to continue this annual tradition and do it in a way that is safe, we should do it,” symposium co-chair Kathy Hersh said. “Having it outside is the perfect way to do that, because that’s what we do anyway.”

Started in 2008, the Nashua International Sculpture Symposium was inspired by the Andres Institute of Art International Sculpture Symposium, a similar event held in Brookline every fall. It is the only international sculpture symposium in the U.S. that is held in a city, with the sculptures being placed on public property.

“The idea is that these sculptures belong to the public,” Hersh said. “There are no signs saying, ‘Fragile’ or ‘Don’t touch.’ They are made for people to see, touch, sit and climb on.”

Traditionally, the symposium brings in three experienced sculptors from all over the world. They spend three weeks in Nashua, creating sculptures that are permanently installed at different sites of their choosing throughout the city.

This year’s symposium, however, will look very different. For one thing, it will be the first time that all three sculptors are from the U.S.

“Even though it’s supposed to be the ‘international’ sculpture symposium, I think it’s really exciting to be able to give local and regional artists this opportunity,” symposium artistic director Jim Larson said.

All in their 20s, the sculptors are also the youngest to ever participate in the symposium.

“We really wanted to help out emerging artists, artists who are early in their career,” said Larson, also in his 20s and acting as the sole artistic director for the first time. “This gives them a chance to expand their portfolios with large-scale public work, and to work with new media.”

Rather than creating standalone sculptures to be placed in separate locations, the sculptors will work collaboratively to create their sculptures as a series. All three pieces will be placed together at the west entrance of Mine Falls Park, situated on a secluded wooded hill above the parking lots for a boat ramp and skate park.

“The space itself is definitely off the beaten path and doesn’t get much traffic,” Larson said, “but I think the artists are excited to make work for this forgotten little patch of woods that will surprise viewers as they stumble upon it.”

Some aspects of the traditional symposium, however, will remain the same. Volunteers from the community will still host the sculptors at their homes and provide them with meals and transportation to the worksite. The sculptors will still work six days a week, Monday through Saturday, outside of The Picker Artists collaborative, and, as always, the public will be welcome to observe and interact with the sculptors, as long as they practice social distancing.

“It’s still very much a community project,” Hersh said. “That’s the way it was designed, and that’s the way we want it to be.”

“Being able to see the artists working gives the community a better understanding of where the work comes from and what it took to get it there,” Larson added, “and being able to have that communal experience is meaningful, especially right now.”

The sculptors were all required to quarantine for 14 days before their arrival. They will be kept at least six feet apart from each other at the worksite and “are no strangers to wearing masks,” Larson said, since respirators are needed while sculpting anyway, to protect from inhaling debris.

Visitors will also be required to wear face masks and stay at a safe distance from the sculptors and other visitors.

An opening ceremony will be held on Thursday, Aug. 20, where the mayor, the symposium board, Chamber of Commerce members, funders and others involved with the symposium will welcome the sculptors to Nashua. The ceremony is not open to the public but will be streamed online.

The closing ceremony, at which the finished sculptures will be revealed, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the installation site. The public can attend, as long as they wear face masks and maintain social distance, or they can watch the ceremony online as it will also be streamed.

13th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium
Opening reception: Thursday, Aug. 20, 5:30 p.m., not open to the public but will be streamed online at accessnashua.org/stream.php at 8:30 p.m.
Visit the sculptors: Sculptors will work Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., outside The Picker Artists studios (3 Pine St., Nashua) from Aug. 24 through Sept. 4, and at the installation site at the west entrance of Mine Falls Park from Saturday, Sept. 5, through Friday, Sept. 11.
Closing ceremony: Saturday, Sept. 12, 1 p.m., at the west entrance of Mine Falls Park, open to the public and will be streamed online.
More info: nashuasculpturesymposium.org

Meet the sculptors

Elijah Ober, Maine

What do you enjoy most about sculpting?

I really enjoy how there are so many different stages to it: the conceptual thinking at the start of a sculpture, considering what a material brings to the table, seeing how the material responds. The process is often meditative.

What do you have planned for the symposium?

I’ve been letting the site inspire me. It’s right next to the Mine Falls dam, so I’ve been thinking a lot about the river as a timepiece … and how it creates a sense of time without really telling it. I want to create a work that does that in a similar way.

What do you hope to get out of the experience?

I hope to learn some new skills and get some experience working with new materials that I haven’t worked with much in the past … and [to form] new friendships, connections and a tie to Nashua.

Kelly Cave, Pennsylvania

What do you enjoy most about sculpting?

I love making things come to life, especially as public art. I love the idea of creating work that can talk to a community, introduce people to art and bring people together to admire a space.

What do you have planned for the symposium?

With Covid and so many people losing so much, I’ve been thinking a lot about memorializing loss. … I’ve been doing a lot of research about monuments and memorial markers, and how they’re incorporated into our society. … I definitely want to get there and feel the space first, though, and let the space have its effect on me, so I’m keeping things a little loose.

What do you hope to get out of the experience?

The symposium is very unique in that it’s encouraging us [artists] to talk to each other and have our work talk to each other, so I’m hoping that will lead to a lifelong connection with them, and with people in the community.

Taylor Apostol, Massachusetts

What do you enjoy most about sculpting?

I think it’s the physicality of it, especially with public works. I love making something that draws people in, that people want to touch. I love that sense of interaction.

What do you have planned for the symposium?

My piece will be very connected to the natural setting, but also brightly colored with flocking. … Right now, I’m planning one large piece with a few smaller abstract pieces emerging and scattered around, kind of playing with scale and manipulating form.

What do you hope to get out of the experience?

The experience of shifting to more collaborative work as opposed to installation-based work, and of doing something more spontaneous, taking things as they come, instead of being stuck in that focus, ‘finish-it’ mode like when I’m doing something for commission.

Greeley Park Art Show

Nashua’s 67th annual Greeley Park Art Show is still on for Saturday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 23.

“So many art shows have been canceled already,” said Lauren Boss, co-president of the Nashua Area Artists’ Association, which hosts the event. “We didn’t want to take away another show from these artists when we know we can have it safely outside and the park is big enough to spread everyone out.”

Around two dozen juried artists from New Hampshire and Massachusetts will display and sell a variety of artwork, including oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, drawings, mixed media, jewelry, photography and digital art. Works will range in price from under $20 to over $1,000.

“Everyone has their own style,” Boss said. “It’s a good representation of all the talented, professional artists in our region.”

The artists’ booths will be situated 10 feet apart, and artists are encouraged to display their art on the outsides of their booths as much as possible. Visitors must wear masks (masks will be provided to those who don’t have one) and observe social distance from others. There will be hand sanitizing stations set up as well as hand sanitizer at the artists’ booths.

Boss said the Greeley Park Art Show is a “Nashua staple” and an event that people look forward to all year.

“Even though it’s going to be a little different than in past years due to the pandemic, I think this is something people need right now,” Boss said. “People need to be able to get out and do something normal, and if we can help them do that safely, we’re going to do it.”

Where: Greeley Park, 100 Concord St., Nashua
When: Saturday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
More info: nashuaarts.org

Capital City Art Bazaar

The Concord Arts Market and Concord Handmade present the first Capital City Art Bazaar on Friday, Aug. 21, outside in Concord’s Bicentennial and Eagle squares. The evening arts market will feature 10 to 13 local and regional vendors in each square, selling a variety of handmade items like jewelry, pottery, textiles, paintings, photography, home decor, fashion accessories, soaps and more.

The bazaar was originally scheduled to take place in May at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage. Instead of canceling, organizers decided to postpone the event and move it outdoors.

“Having it outside is a viable option, and it’s definitely safer,” Concord Arts Market producer Christa Zuber said.

All vendors are required to wear face masks and have hand sanitizer available at their tables. Attendees are requested to wear masks and not touch the items for sale unless they plan to purchase them. Payment will be contactless, via card.

The bazaar gives artists an opportunity to “get back in the habit” of participating in arts events and selling their work, Boss said, and art lovers an opportunity to reconnect with and support local artists.

“Artists, whether they do [art] as a living or as a hobby, do it because they love it,” Boss said. “After having so many events canceled this year, I think they are really excited to be able to get out in a safe way and talk to people about their art again.”

When: Friday, Aug. 21, from 4 to 8 p.m.
Where: Bicentennial and Eagle squares, Concord
Cost: Free admission
More info: concordartsmarket.net/capital-city-art-bazaar

More outdoor art

• The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth) presents two outdoor author events as part of its Live Under the Arch Series. Meg Mitchel Moore will discuss her book Two Truths and a Lie on Thursday, Aug. 20, at 6 and 8 p.m. Tickets cost $44.75. Then, Acadia Tucker will discuss her book Growing Good Food on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $38.75. Tickets include a signed copy of the featured book. Events will be held right outside of the theater. Visit themusichall.org.

• Intown Concord’s Market Month continues in downtown Concord with International Arts Week from Thursday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 23, with a full schedule of multicultural music and dance performances, arts and activities on Saturday; and a Sidewalk Sale from Thursday, Aug. 27, through Sunday, Aug. 30. Admission is free. Visit facebook.com/intownconcord.

• The Concord Arts Market takes place in Concord’s Bicentennial Square every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., now through Sept. 26. The juried outdoor market features a variety of art and crafts by local artists and craftspeople. Visit concordartsmarket.net.

• Monsters are on the loose again in Manchester. On Saturday, Aug. 22, Studio 550 Art Center will hide 100 small red clay monsters — each a unique and handmade piece of art — around downtown in outdoor places that are typically overlooked, such as windowsills, benches and flower planters. The hunt starts at 1 p.m. and goes until all of the monsters are found. If you find a monster, you get to keep it, and receive goodies, giveaways and discounts from downtown businesses like Dancing Lion Chocolate and Bookery. The person who finds the one colored monster will get a free workshop at Studio 550. It’s free to participate in the hunt. Also on that day from 1 to 3 p.m., Studio 550 will host outdoor low-cost monster-themed activities for all ages. Visit 550arts.com.

• Alnoba (24 Cottage Road, Kensington) will give an outdoor guided tour of its international and eclectic collection of art on its property on Friday, Aug. 28, from 10 a.m. to noon. Visitors will be able to see the art up close, touch it and hear stories about it and the artists who created it. Tickets cost $15 and must be purchased in advance. Visit alnoba.org.

• Enjoy some outdoor theater with Seussical Jr., presented by All That Drama and Nottingham Parks & Recreation, outside at the Nottingham town bandstand (139 Stage Road). Performances are on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30, at 5 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation to see the show. Visit allthatdramanh.com.

• The 20th annual Hampton Beach Sand Sculpting Classic is still on for Thursday, Sept. 3, through Saturday, Sept. 5. Head to Ocean Boulevard to watch as 10 of the world’s top sand sculptors compete for cash prizes and awards. Stick around on Saturday for the judging and to vote for your favorite sculpture from 1 to 3 p.m., and for the awards ceremony at 7 p.m. The sculpture site will be illuminated for night viewing through Sept. 13. Visit hamptonbeach.org/events/sand-sculpture-event.

• Theater and baseball come together at “Shakespeare in the (Ball) Park” on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m., at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive, Manchester). Cue Zero Theatre Company will perform a reimagined baseball-themed version of Romeo and Juliet. Tickets will go on sale soon and will cost $10. Visit cztheatre.com.

• Now, you can take a self-guided audio tour of the public art in downtown Nashua. There are two types of tours — sculptures and murals — with 10 to 15 stops on each. They are offered through the Distrx app (available for free on Android and iOS), which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provide audio descriptions as tourists approach the works of art. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Featured Photo: “For the Love of Friendship” sculpture by Tony Jimenez, near Lovewell Pond in Nashua. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Quality of Life 20/08/20

Books to go!
Manchester has a brand-new Bookmobile, and it was scheduled to get rolling after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 18, according to a press release. Books and kids activities are put in bags based on subject or reading levels. Weekly stops are from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. throughout the week — Mondays: Livingston Park (156 Hooksett Road), Tuesdays: Beech Street School (303 Beech St.), Wednesdays: Kelley Falls (440 Kelley St.), Thursdays: Jewett School (130 Jewett St.) and Fridays: Elmwood Gardens (83 Trahan St.).
Score: +1
Comment: Everyone is asked to wear a face mask and practice social distancing at each stop — worth it for a few good books.

Baby-friendly New Hampshire
The Granite State ranks 6th in the nation for the best state to have a baby, according to a study released by WalletHub, which looked at factors like cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness. Some of New Hampshire’s top rankings were for Infant Mortality Rate (first in the nation), Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges (second) Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges (third), Pediatricians & Family Doctors per Capita (fourth) and Rate of Low Birth-Weight (sixth).
Score: +1
Comment: Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont were the Top 3, respectively, according to the study.

Pedal for Hope
The 15th annual Pedaling for Payson will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, at Elm Brook Park in Hopkinton to raise money for the Pedaling for Hope Fund to support programs at the Concord Hospital Payson Center for Cancer Care, according to a press release. The Hope Fund specifically helps support the Payson Center’s Nurse Navigator Program, which coordinates medical treatment and community outreach for the most vulnerable cancer patients. Bicycle rides range from 16 to 57 miles; there’s also a mountain bike adventure that makes a pit stop at Henniker Brewing Co. After the rides, there will be a socially-distanced barbecue lunch and live entertainment at the park.
Score: +1
Comment: Anyone interested in participating can register online and create a fundraising page at pedalingforpayson.org.

Great American Ribfest canceled
The second annual Great American Ribfest, originally scheduled for June, then postponed to August and then to October, has now been canceled altogether, an Aug. 10 post on the event’s Facebook page announced. The Merrimack Rotary Club is instead looking ahead to Father’s Day weekend in 2021 to hold the next festival, which is expected to feature barbecue vendors, food trucks, live music and more.
Score: -1
Comment:“Despite developing new safety and hygiene protocols, now is not the right time to gather thousands of people together,” the Facebook post reads.

QOL score: 52
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 54
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].

An NBA playoff preview

The NBA playoffs kicked off this week in what promises to be a unique happening for fans and players alike. The biggest coronavirus change has been not having home court crowds to affect the game. As great a job as Adam Silver and company have done, that can’t be approximated let alone duplicated. But, since it beats the alternative, I’ll go with what I can get.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on as the second season evolves.

No Home Court Advantage: This helps all lower seeds who never have it, because unlike the Stanley Cup playoffs home court matters in the NBA playoffs. Tough luck for the Bucks, who lose out on home court throughout after killing it at home in going 30-5, but they’ll survive. Not sure about Philadelphia, who was a league-best 31-4 at home and a horrid 12-26 on the road.

The Silver Lining: (1) After their three-month layoff, players will be a lot fresher entering these playoffs, so the fatigue factor should be much less than usual. (2) No travel between games will also help the fatigue factor. (3) Since they have to jam more games into a shorter time window, games will be every other day, eliminating the excruciating TV-induced two- and three-day waits between games.

Players to Watch: Here are five to keep an eye on.

Damian Lillard: Not much is expected in the 1-8 Lakers and Blazers matchup. But Lillard comes in averaging 37 per in the bubble, which included games of 45, 51 and 61. With Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo out, L.A. has no one to cover him, which should make things less comfortable for them.

T.J. Warren: He had a 53-point game and three more in the 30’s in the bubble against a season average of 19.8. A coming-of-age run or just a hot streak? That’s the question going in as Indy faces a Miami team that plays D hard.

Anthony Davis: Hard to believe, but in his first seven seasons he went to the playoffs just twice. He’s a likable guy, but after the shameless way he forced his way out of Nola he must deliver, as the Lakers ain’t some team that’s never won before and they traded their entire future to get him.

Luka Doncic: After a breakout second year that saw him average 28.8, 9.8 and 8.8 in points, rebounds and assists, it should be fun watching the kid with the Larry Bird game play when the games really count. I’m looking forward to seeing how the NBA’s next truly great player does.

Is LeBron Still LeBron? With LeBron 35 and trailing Michael by three rings, LBJ needs his fourth title now for reasons of the LeBron-vs.-MJ debate. The rebounds, scoring and shooting percentage were down a touch, but given the career-best 10.2 assists per, that speaks to adjusting to playing with someone as good as Davis. It also speaks to a basketball IQ that will let him adjust to aging better than most on his Mt. Olympus level. Given all that, he still looks pretty good to me.

Glimpse Into Philly’s Future: The rumor mill has wondered all year, is it time to split up the Ben Simmons–Joel Embiid duo? Well, with Simmons injured and done, the brass will see what they are without him, in the same way the Celtics found out they were better without Kyrie Irving two years ago. If they overachieve, bet on a Simmons trade and a reconstructed team of bombers stationed around the big fella. If it’s a bad one and done, while small-ball Houston rolls, it could be goodbye Joel.

Most Interesting Round 1 Series — Oak City vs. Houston: There’s real hate in this series and nothing drives a series better than teams having real animosity for the other. Chris Paul hates James Harden and the flopping, always whining Harden hates Paul. It’s why CP3 wanted out of Houston to land with a surprising team still standing after losing both Paul George and Russell Westbrook last summer thanks to savvy maneuvering by GM Sam Presti. Since I loathe the entire Houston franchise, from the owner to how Mike D’Antoni coaches to its two stars with the me-first games to even the uniforms, I’ll be pulling for Oak City. Emotion aside, most think Houston should win, but in a test of their total three-ball game I’ll stand up for bigs everywhere and take the Thunder.

Celts Underachievers: I heard some folks recently saying you’re a “green teamer” if you’re unwilling to say the Celtics underachieved by finishing behind Toronto. The C’s certainly had some consistency issues and left some wins on the table. But their .667 winning percentage is 55 wins in an 82-game season. I had them for 49 before the year, and given their punch-less bench, 55 seems about right to me. As for Toronto, after winning 56 games they lost Kawhi Leonard and then played on a 60-win pace this year. For context, when Larry Bird missed all but six games in 1988-89 the Celtics went from 57 wins to 42 without him. So I tip my cap to the Raptors for overachieving and refusing to give in.

Celts Expectations: How they do the next eight weeks depends on consistency in two areas, defending the perimeter and shooting threes, though it would be nice if they got better at finding easy shots and getting to the line when the bombs aren’t dropping. Especially Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward, who tends to disappear when the first couple don’t fall. More important is forcing three-ball shooters off the line because they’ll lose if they let the threes rain down. They did all of that in their signature bubble win over Toronto, but that’s just one game. So the question is, can they consistently do that night in and night out?

That will take growing maturity from Jaylen Brown and Tatum, along with a tougher Hayward.

It’s fun to lead at the YMCA

Nashua teen honored with annual Buddy Cup

Every summer, teens from New England and New York who are involved in their local YMCA’s Leaders Club attend a week-long teen conference called Leaders School. At the conference, which was held virtually this year, one teen is awarded the Buddy Cup, which recognizes an outstanding leader and role model who exemplifies the program’s core values. The recipient of the 2020 Buddy Cup is New Hampshire’s 18-year-old Asher Thomas, a 2020 Nashua High School South graduate and member of the Leaders Club at the YMCA of Greater Nashua. Thomas talked about the program, his leadership experiences and his plans for the future.

What activities and leadership opportunities have you been involved in at the Y and in your community?

I was kind of “raised in the Y,” as I like to say. My mom worked there, and I was on the swim team and all that kind of stuff. I joined the Leaders Club when I was in the sixth grade and got much more active in the community through that because we did a lot of volunteering … like at the breast cancer walk, putting on anti-bullying days at the Y and those kinds of different things. Through high school, I was also pretty involved in a lot of different clubs and stuff at my school. I was an active member of a club called Student Voice, where we went to head teacher meetings to make sure that the policies they were creating were good for students all across the board, and we worked side by side with the administration to create structures that were beneficial for everybody that was involved in the school.

What is Leaders School all about?

Leaders Clubs from throughout the region — it actually happens across the country, but I’m involved with the Northeast Regional Leader School — get together, and it’s kind of our culminating event of the year. The Leaders Club is really about personal and community development, so [at the event,] there’s a lot of self-development, figuring out your own values and that kind of stuff, as well as thinking outside of just yourself, learning how to be a leader in your community and how to create an environment that is supportive for everyone involved.

What was the event like this year, being held virtually?

For the past couple of years, it has taken place at Springfield College in Mass., so it was a lot different this year. There was definitely a much lower turnout with it being virtual, and there weren’t as many people from our Nashua club who participated. … There were a lot of different mediums [used]. There were some live calls and virtual meetings where we would kind of get together and sing songs or have object lessons where the advisor, an adult leader, would basically have an object and use that in order to teach us a life lesson in some way. People who weren’t able to attend the live sessions could still participate in various different activities and challenges on their own time.

How did it feel to be awarded the Buddy Cup?

I was definitely very honored. It was really exciting for me to be able to see that I had made such a large impact. I was also excited because the person who won it last year was actually a good friend of mine and was also from the Nashua Leaders Club, so we were able to do the actual passing of the trophy in person — socially distant, obviously.

What have you gained from participating in the Leaders Club and Leaders School?

I feel like I have definitely grown as a person through this program. It’s a program that really lets you be yourself, no matter who you are, and over the past few years especially, I feel like it has helped me grow into who I am, and to be comfortable with myself. It has also shown me how to have meaningful interactions with other people, how to be more empathetic in those interactions and how to just be a good person in the world who is helpful to others.

Is there an experience you had through the Leaders Club or community service that was especially impactful or memorable?

A couple of years ago, with the Leaders Club, I went down to New Orleans for a service trip where we were rebuilding houses that were devastated … by Hurricane Katrina. Being able to be a part of an organization that is rebuilding houses for those less fortunate who lost their homes in the hurricane was definitely a very impactful experience.

What are your future plans?

This fall, I’m actually taking a gap year and traveling across the country in a van that I’ve been converting. After that, I’ll be attending Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.

Do you know what you want to pursue, career-wise?

I think I want to go into the medical field.

What words of wisdom do you have for the young leaders you’re passing the torch to?

Never underestimate your power. I think that oftentimes younger people are overlooked, but we have the ability to change the world. If you believe in yourself and have the support of others around you, you can do anything.

Asher Thomas. Courtesy photo.

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