Tag: 201029

The Weekly Dish 20/10/29

News from the local food scene

• Fired up: Learn to make fire cider at the Beaver Brook Nature Center’s Brown Lane Barn (52 Brown Lane, Hollis) during one of two workshops on either Thursday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., or Sunday, Nov. 8, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Fire cider is a New England traditional remedy and preventive medicine made with apple cider, honey, garlic, onions, ginger and horseradish, an immune stimulant that’s also a great added flavor to salads, stir-fries and veggies. Participants of each class will learn the history of vinegar and honey remedies, then taste and make fire cider to take home. Ingredients are provided — you bring your own grater, cutting board, knife, vegetable peeler and measuring cup. Masks or face coverings are required. The cost is $22 for Beaver Brook Association members and $25 for non-members. Visit beaverbrook.org.

• Bowlful of deliciousness: A new takeout eatery offering made-to-order rice and pasta bowls prepared with fresh ingredients is now open on Manchester’s east side. Bowlful held its grand opening on Oct. 20, in a takeout kitchen space inside Nickles Market (1536 Candia Road, Manchester). Its menu consists of various rice and pasta bowls inspired by the travels of owner Gerard “Jay” Desmarais — there’s a cilantro lime rice bowl with chipotle black beans, green chili corn, fresh salsa and sour cream and the option to add either chicken or shrimp; a bacon fried rice bowl with broccoli, a teriyaki glaze and a sprinkle of sesame seeds, also with the chicken or shrimp option; and a ground pork bibimbap bowl with sauteed mushrooms, carrot ribbons, sweet sesame sauce and a drizzle of Sriracha. Other non-rice options include a macaroni and cheese bowl, and a spicy pork sausage bowl with spaghetti noodles and a garlic butter broccoli saute. Bowlful is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Visit thebowlful.com.

• Taco Time restaurant coming to Milford: The Milford-based Mexican food truck Taco Time recently announced its plans to open a brick and mortar location. Taco Time Cocina & Cantina Mexicana is expected to open later this year at 11 Wilton Road in Milford, in the former space of the Rivermill Tavern. Rosana Vargas and her husband, Reymundo “Rey,” launched Taco Time, specializing in tacos, taco salads, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, chilis and other fresh Mexican options, in 2018. Follow them on Facebook @tacotimenh for updates on the new location’s grand opening.

• Italian specials: Join the Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford) for an Italian Restaurant Week in its dining room. From Nov. 1 through Nov. 14, the eatery will feature a three-course prix fixe menu of popular Italian dishes from different regions throughout the country, with your choice of one of several options for each course. The cost is $65 per person and reservations in advance are strongly recommended. Visit bedfordvillageinn.com.

In praise of garlic

Plant now to have it ready next year

When I was growing up, my mom served meat and potatoes nearly every night. Our vegetable was peas or cooked carrots, and once a week or so we had an iceberg lettuce salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots with dressing from a bottle. So I don’t really know how I developed a taste for complex flavors. But I grow — and cook with — a lot of garlic and find it adds depth and intensity to soups and stews. Now is the time to plant some for next year.
Growing garlic involves less work than anything else I grow. There really are only three steps: plant it, mulch it and harvest it. Once you have an established bed of garlic, it’s also the least expensive crop. I planted this year’s crop from last year’s crop, and that one I planted from the crop of the year before. You really only have to buy garlic once, so long as you plant some extra and save it each year for planting. I choose my best-looking, biggest garlic each year for planting.
The hardest part of planting garlic for the first time might be to find garlic sold for planting. You can’t just go to the grocery store to get garlic because much of it has been treated with chemicals to prevent it from sprouting, and most is the wrong kind for New England.
I went online to see about buying “seed” garlic. Many major suppliers are already sold out, and prices have skyrocketed since last year. Try your local farmer or farmers market — they may still have some.
There are basically just two kinds of garlic: soft neck garlic, which is what you probably get at your grocery store, and the stuff we grow here in the Northeast called hard neck garlic. Most soft neck garlic (the kind that is braided and hung on walls) comes from California and keeps nearly forever. It is less hardy than hard neck garlic, a bit bland, and less interesting to cook with.
Hard neck garlic has a stiff stem in the middle of each bulb. In my opinion it has a much more complex flavor. It will keep in a cool place until spring, but not much longer. Then it either sprouts or dries up. There are many named varieties of hard neck garlic, but all are excellent.
To plant garlic, take a bulb (or head) of garlic and separate it into the cloves that surround the hard “neck” or flower scape. Depending on the variety of garlic, you might have just five cloves or as many as a dozen. I like big cloves, as they are easier to peel and use. So each year I select for big cloves and plant them. Over the years my crop has produced bigger bulbs and bigger cloves.
Garlic needs full sun (defined as six hours of sunshine) and rich soil. In a 30-inch wide-raised bed I add a couple of inches of compost and stir it into the soil, loosening the soil in the top six inches. To plant, I draw furrows eight to 12 inches apart with my CobraHead weeder, a single-tine tool that is curved like a bent finger. Next I push cloves into the soil so that they are three or four inches apart and about three inches deep. Always plant them with the pointy end up. After covering them with soil I pat the soil down with my hands.
The last step is to mulch your garlic. I use mulch hay or straw and put almost a foot of fluffy material over the bed. Fall rains and winter snows will cause the hay to settle — I end up with about four to six inches of material in the spring.
The mulch keeps the soil from freezing until January, allowing roots to get well-established before the garlic cloves go dormant. It also prevents most weeds from germinating and growing next year, though I weed the bed well before planting, which helps, too. Garlic is tough stuff and will push right through my layer of mulch, though most weeds do not.
Depending on the weather and when you plant, your garlic may send up green stalks this fall. Don’t fret if it does. Those sprouts will die back in winter, but the garlic will send up new ones in the spring.
Next July the garlic you planted this year will be ready to harvest. Each bulb grows about seven long pointy leaves that surround the cloves and protect them. When three or four leaves have turned brown and started to dry up, it’s time to harvest. If you wait too long, all the leaves will have dried up and the garlic will not store as well — it will dry out too soon.
You can store garlic best in a cool, dry place. Ideally 50 degrees with moderate humidity. You can also freeze garlic instead of storing it at room temperature, I’ve read (but I’ve never tried that). For freezing, separate the cloves but don’t peel them. You can freeze them in a zipper bag or jar for a year or more. Don’t store garlic at room temperature in oil, as it can produce deadly botulism.
For centuries some cultures have believed that garlic helps ward off colds and the flu. Or maybe good garlic breath will just get that guy behind you in the checkout line with no mask to stand back a little!

Featured Photo: Hardneck garlic showing central neck or stalk. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Kiddie Pool 20/10/29

Family fun for whenever

Crafts and costume parties

There are still a few more days to take part in Not So Spooky October at theChildren’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; children’s-museum.org, 742-2002). At the Trick or Tree-T tree inside the entrance of the museum, pick up a “wiggling worms” crafting kit to take home. Kits will be available on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 9 a.m. and are distributed on a first come, first served basis. Visit the museum at any point during the rest of October to make a reflective spider necklace,free with admission ($11 for adults and children over 1, $9 for seniors 65+, free for museum members and children under 1). Hours are Thursdays through Saturdays, 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 3:30 p.m., and all visitors must pre-register for their visit online.

Kid’s World Indoor Playground of Salem (288 N. Broadway) is having Socially Distant Halloween Costume Parties on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. The cost is $49 for a family of four, and $11 per additional person. Each person will receive a small pumpkin to decorate and prepackaged goodie bags containing five allergen-friendly candies. Hour-and-a-half time slots for both days start at 10:30 a.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. Reserve a time slot at kidsworldsalem.com.

Dress up and run

Don your Halloween costumes for the CHaD Trick or Trot 3K at Arms Park (10 Arms St. in Manchester) on Saturday, Oct. 31. The event will start with a Halloween festival at noon, followed by the Primrose School at Bedford Hills Lil’ Pumpkin Runs at 1:30 p.m, and the Trick or Trot 3K at 2:30 p.m. Registration for the run costs $15 for ages 11 and under, $20 for 20 and under and $25 for 21 and over. Register online at millenniumrunning.com.

Concord’s annual Wicked FIT Run is going virtual this year. This Halloween-themed family-friendly walk/run 5K will be held on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Registration starts at $10 per person and includes timing benefits and a downloadable bib. Participants are encouraged to wear their Halloween attire. Register at support.fitnh.org/2020wickedfitrun.

Science & nature

The SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; 669-0400, see-sciencecenter.org) will be open Halloween weekend, Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1, with a free raffle entry to any visitor wearing a costume. There are two sessions each day, from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 5 p.m.; registration is required. The museum is also open for both sessions on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Admission is $9 for everybody ages 3 and up.

Families can learn about the many animals that can be found in New Hampshire’s lakes during a free webinar Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. “Otters, Beavers, Turtles, & Frogs!” will be presented by wildlife biologists from the New Hampshire Fish & Game Department. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited; visit nhlakes.org to sign up.

21 ideas for outdoor fun this weekend

Take a little break from, everything with some events happening in fresh air

Pumped for pumpkins

1. Show off your pumpkin carving skills at the Hopkinton Halloween Jack-o’-Lanterns. From Thursday, Oct. 29, through Saturday, Oct. 31, carvers are invited to bring their jack-o’-lantern to the Veterans Park wall (located at the intersection of routes 103 and 202 near the Cracker Barrel and First Congregational Church). Place a single battery-operated votive candle in your jack-o’-lantern, and the Hopkinton Recreation Department will light it each night. Visit hopkintonrec.com.

2. There’s still time to do Intown Concord’s Great Pumpkin Hunt. Visit participating Concord businesses to get your pumpkin map stamped and turn it in by Saturday, Oct. 31, to receive a special treat. Visit intownconcord.org.

3. Pick your own pumpkin at Mack’s Apples (230 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 434-7619, macksapples.com), open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Lavoies Farm (172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.com), open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Walk through history

4. Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road, Canterbury, 783-9511, shakers.org), a restored Shaker village and history museum with historic buildings and exhibits, is offering free outdoor guided tours on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

5. Pay a visit to America’s Stonehenge (105 Haverhill Road, Salem, 893-8300, stonehengeusa.com), a 4,000-year-old stone construction — likely the oldest man-made construction in the United States — built by an ancient people as an astronomical calendar to determine solar and lunar events of the year. It’s open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance at 4 p.m.). Admission rates are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors age 65 and up, $7.50 for kids ages 5 through 12, and free for kids age 4 and under.

Open air art

6. 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.

7. The Andres Institute of Art Sculpture Park (98 Route 13, Brookline, andresinstitute.org, 673-7441), which has wooded hiking trails with more than 80 outdoor sculptures, spread across 140 acres, is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free.

Halloween thrills

8. Enjoy an evening of spooky fun at a local haunted attraction. Fright Kingdom (12 Simon St., Nashua, frightkingdom.com, 809-1173) is open on Friday and Saturday from 7 to 11 p.m. Tickets cost $27 per person and must be purchased online in advance. Spooky World presents Nightmare New England (nightmarenewengland.com, 424-7999), located at Mel’s Funway (454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield), is open Friday from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 6:30 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $39.99 per person on Friday, $44.99 on Saturday and $34.99 on Sunday and must be purchased online in advance. The Dark Woods (thedarkwoodsnh.com, 465-3275) at Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford) is open on Friday from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Tickets cost $14 for adults and $10 for kids age 12 and under.

9. Auburn Pitts (167 Rockingham Road, Auburn, 622-6564, auburnpitts.com) will host an outdoor Halloween show on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 7 p.m., featuring live music by cover band Joppa Flatts as well as a costume contest with prizes, a bonfire, fresh food and beverages and more. The event is weather-dependent.

10. Beaver Brook Nature Center (52 Brown Lane, Hollis, beaverbrook.org, 465-7787) will host a Full Moon Halloween Night Hike on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. After the hike, guided by a Beaver Brook naturalist, there will be warm beverages and refreshments. The cost is $15 per person.

Bring the fam

11. Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com) features a hands-on petting area with farm animals, pony rides, tractor train rides, horse-drawn rides, wildlife exhibits and more. This weekend there will be trick-or-treating for kids. General admission costs $22 per person (some activities may have an additional cost). See the website for available visiting times.

12. Mel’s Funway Park (454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, melsfunwaypark.com, 424-2292) is open Friday from 7 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 6:30 to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Enjoy go-karts, batting cages, mini golf and fair food. Rates are by attraction.

13. Play a game of paintball at AG Adventure Park (158 Deering Center Road, Weare, 529-3524, agpaintball.com), open Friday by appointment and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There’s a painless Paintball Lite for kids as young as age 7, Low Impact Paintball for kids as young as age 9 and regular paintball open to players age 12 and up. Rates vary. Equipment rental packages are available.

14. Beaver Brook Nature Center (52 Brown Lane, Hollis, beaverbrook.org, 465-7787) will host a family-friendly Enchanted Forest Walk on Saturday, Oct. 31, with start times from 3 to 4:40 p.m. Learn about New England wildlife, get your photo taken at the Bat Photo Booth and enjoy cider and s’mores by the campfire. The cost is $12 per person.

Take a hike

15. Visit a state park. Bear Brook State Park (61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, 485-9874, nhstateparks.org/visit/state-parks/bear-brook-state-park) sits on 10,000 acres and features 40 miles of trails, making it the largest developed state park in the state. Activities include hiking, biking, fishing and more. The park is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and reservations must be made in advance. Admission costs $4 per person and $2 for kids ages 6 through 11. Visit nhstateparks.org for a list of other New Hampshire state parks.

16. There’s still time to participate in the New Hampshire Forest Society’s 5 Hikes Challenge. Choose and hike five trails from an extensive list to earn an embroidered hiking patch. Register by Saturday, Oct. 31, and receive a Forest Society buff and paper trail maps with directions for the hikes you choose. The cost is $8 per hike (free for hikers under age 18). Complete and submit photos of your hikes to 5hikes@forestsociety.org by Nov. 15. Visit forestsociety.org/5-hikes-challenge.

17. The New Hampshire Audubon’s nature sanctuary trails remain open daily from dawn to dusk. There are 39 trails, including ones in Amherst, Auburn, Candia, Concord, Epsom, Hollis/Nashua, Hopkinton and Moultonborough. Visit nhaudubon.org for the full list.

More outdoor fun

18. Have your own skywatch. Through the New Hampshire Astronomical Society’s Library Telescope Program, you can check out a telescope from your local library just as you would a book. Bonus: Saturday is a full moon. Visit nhastro.com for a list of participating libraries and contact your library for details.

19. Visit a corn maze at a local farm. The maze at Beech Hill Farm (107 Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton, 223-0828, beechhillfarm.com) is open Friday from 2 to 7 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. It costs $6 per person and is free for children under age 3. The maze at Elwood Orchards (54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com) is open on Friday and Saturday starting at 8 a.m., with the last entrance at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per person and are free for kids age 5 and under. The maze at Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net) is open on Friday from 9 a.m. to dusk and Saturday starting at 9 a.m., with a nighttime flashlight maze in the evening until 10 p.m. It costs $5 per person and is free for kids age 3 and under.

20. Catch an outdoor movie at the Milford Drive-In Theater (531 Elm St., Milford, milforddrivein.movie, 673-4090). Weekly movie schedules are posted on the website. Tickets cost $30 for a vehicle with one to six people and can be purchased online.

21. Stop by a farmers market. The Milford Farmers Market (milfordnhfarmersmarket.com), located at 300 Elm St., will be held this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will continue each Saturday through Nov. 21. The last Concord Farmers Market (concordfarmersmarket.com) of the season is on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. to noon next to the Statehouse on Capitol Street in downtown, and will include trick-or-treating for kids.

The Art Roundup 20/10/29

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

  • ”Mother West Wind WHEN” Stories by Elaine Caikauskas, featured in “Possessed.” Courtesy photo.
  • “Royal Dalton” by Suzanne Pretty, featured in “Possessed.” Courtesy photo.

• Creative possessions: Don’t miss the art exhibit “Possessed,” on view now through Nov. 1 at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). Six artists tell stories of their own relationships with possessions — both physical and conceptual — through calligraphy, painting, photography, fiber art and mixed media. “We all have possessions, and it’s interesting to look around and think about what’s important to us and what isn’t,” said gallery owner Adele Sanborn, who is also one of the featured artists. “It turned out to be a fun idea for a show.” As a calligrapher, Sanborn said she is “possessed by words” and decided to make words the focus of her work in the exhibit. Graphic designer Donna Catanzaro of South Sutton gives meaning to a collection of old objects through digital art and collage. Using stencils and acrylic spray paint, Elaine Caikauskas of Manchester made images representing sentimental items from her past. Fiber artist Suzanne Pretty of Farmington created works inspired by possessions passed down to her by her grandmother. Painter and drawer Susan Huppi of Penacook said her work looks at items she owns that “tell stories of different time periods and personalities.” Gail Smuda of Concord, who does fiber art and sculptural art books, also chose to focus on items with connections to the people and pets in her life. Gallery hours are Thursday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.

• Wimpy Kid author visits: Jeff Kinney, bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will make two stops in New Hampshire during his book tour for the series’ 15th title, The Deep End. On Thursday, Nov. 12, at Lincoln Street Elementary School (25 Lincoln St., Exeter) and Friday, Nov. 13, at Rundlett Middle School (144 South St., Concord), from 5 to 7 p.m., Kinney will host Drive-Thru Pool Parties with pool party-themed activities like a lifeguard dunk tank, a tiki hut and an underwater venture. He will also personally deliver signed copies of the book to fans using a 6-foot pool skimmer. Tickets cost $14.99. Visit waterstreetbooks.com/event/jeff-kinney-drive-thru-event and gibsonsbookstore.com/event/deep-end.

• Floral pandemic art: Local artist Kevin Kintner’s pop-up exhibit of floral-themed paintings he has done during the pandemic will remain on view at 814 Elm St. in Manchester at least through the end of October on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. “The world had become full of anxiety and fear, and my first instinct was to paint those stressed-out emotions on canvas,” Kintner said in an email, “but it turned out what I needed to paint was escape. I wanted bright color and energetic light and joyous movement and something alive.” Call 682-0797.

• Combining art and medicine: New Hampshire Artist Laureate and dancer Amanda Whitworth, theater artist Robin Marcotte and family and preventive medicine physician Bobby Kelly have co-founded a new non-profit called Articine, which “connects artists and medical professionals to create and implement collaborative wellness experiences for people across New Hampshire,” according to a press release. Using arts-based learning objectives and evidence-based medicine, Articine will create original performances based on public health challenges; a variety of workshop series and customized educational experiences for medical training facilities; innovative care solutions and standardized patient work in medical settings. “As master storytellers, artists are uniquely positioned to apply crucial conversations to medicine,” Whitworth said in the press release. “Bringing the lives of patients to the forefront of care will help lead New Hampshire to better overall wellness.” Articine has already received a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, in partnership with the National Endowment of the Arts, to create material targeting health inequities for queer patients. Visit articine.org.

• Virtual holiday shopping: Creative Ventures Gallery in Milford presents its annual holiday exhibit, “Small Works — Big Impact,” virtually from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. The exhibit features small works of art in various media, priced affordably for gift buying. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com or call 672-2500.

Come together (at a distance)

Palace Theatre presents The British Rock Experience

The Palace Theatre in Manchester is ready to welcome you back with free tickets to its next show, a theatrical musical paying tribute to British rock ’n’ roll from the ’60s through today. The British Rock Experience, a production from Palace Artistic Director Carl Rajotte and the second show of the Citizens Bank 2020-2021 Performing Arts Series, began last week and will continue every Thursday through Sunday through Nov. 14.
“We had the idea of making tickets free … so that people could have a chance to come out and have that firsthand experience to feel safe here,” said Palace Theatre marketing coordinator Caroline Eby, who’s also performing in the show as one of the dancers.
Rajotte said the two-act production combines his love of British rock with elements of fantasy and steampunk, featuring an original story interspersed with dozens of classic songs. The nearly hour-long first act is composed entirely of hits from The Beatles’ catalog, with four singers — two male and two female — who alternate between lead and backup vocals.
“For the first act, I had the idea of four children going up into an attic and exploring it, where they find things like old records, a record player and a video camera … and then the attic kind of comes to life in front of them,” he said. “You’ll probably fall in love with the singers right away, but then each of the four young performers are just as interesting, because they all have their own plotlines to follow throughout the show.”
The second act, Rajotte said, features live professional dancers performing to the music of other rock legends and contemporary artists from across the pond, like The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Bonnie Tyler, David Bowie, Queen, The Police, Adele and The Kinks. The same four singers embark on a journey with the children from the first act, who have now come of age and are exploring aspects of adulthood. Each of them undergoes frequent steampunk-themed costume changes.
“The dancers start off in an enchanted forest, then fly into the clouds and land in a stylized, futuristic-looking London,” Rajotte said. “At the very last moment the dancers wave and run off the stage and the kids from the attic come back on holding albums, so it represents basically either a dream or their imagination.”
Members of the live band are placed eight feet above the singers and dancers to allow for proper social distancing, according to Eby. The dancers and musicians are also masked.
More than 45 songs spanning multiple eras are performed throughout the show, each one carefully chosen by Rajotte to fit within its overall storyline.
“I had this story in my mind first of these four kids … growing up into teens and adults, and then I tried to find songs to match what would be going on in that time of their lives,” he said.
Because the Palace Theatre is still operating at less than 50 percent capacity, with every other row left unoccupied, Eby said attendees are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance. Up to eight tickets are available per reservation, on a first-come, first-served basis.

The British Rock Experience
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
When: Thursdays and Fridays, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Saturdays, 2 to 4 p.m. and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and Sundays, noon to 2 p.m., now through Nov. 14
Cost: Free admission (advance reservations are recommended)
More info: Visit palacetheatre.org or call the box office at 668-5588

Exhibits

• “MOSTLY ANIMALS – SOME PEOPLE” Featuring work by New Hampshire Art Association artist Jef Steingrebe. NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. On view now through Nov. 1. Gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., but are subject to change. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

• “YOUR LEADER COULD BE A TYRANT, HOW TO TELL” Art exhibit at 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth. On view now through Nov. 1. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit 3sarts.org.

• “SMALL WORKS – BIG IMPACT” Creative Ventures Gallery’s annual holiday exhibit featuring small works of art in various media, priced affordably for gift buying. Virtual. Nov. 1 through Dec. 31. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com or call 672-2500.

Tours
• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Theater

Show
• NUNSENSE The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Oct. 25 through Nov. 8, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $30 to $48. Visit seacoastrep.org.

• THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY The Players’ Ring Theatre presents. 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth. Oct. 23 through Nov. 1, 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 $18 to $24. Visit playersring.org.

• THE NUTCRACKER Southern New Hampshire Dance Theater presents. Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester. Thurs., Nov. 19, and Fri., Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 21, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; and Sun., Nov. 22, noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $39 to $46 for adults and $25 for children. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

Classical

• “POPS FOR PIPES IX” Presented by the First Music Concert Series, featuring organist Brink Bush. The First Church, 1 Concord St., Nashua. Sun., Nov. 8, 3 p.m. Visit first-music.org.

Books

• JEFF KINNEY VISIT The bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, will make two stops in New Hampshire during his book tour for the series’ 15th title, The Deep End. On Thursday, Nov. 12, at Lincoln Street Elementary School (25 Lincoln St., Exeter) and Friday, Nov. 13, at Rundlett Middle School (144 South St., Concord), from 5 to 7 p.m., Kinney will host Drive-Thru Pool Parties with activities like a lifeguard dunk tank, a tiki hut and an underwater venture. He will also give signed copies of the book to fans using a 6-foot pool skimmer. Tickets cost $14.99. Visit waterstreetbooks.com and gibsonsbookstore.com.

Writing

• CALL FOR BLACK WRITERS New Hampshire-based New World Theatre announces an open call to Black writers to submit monologues that reflect their experience of living while black, to be published in an anthology titled “08:46.” The deadline for submissions is Jan. 1. Visit newworldtheatre.org/08m46s.

Quality of Life 20/10/29

Fin for the win

Fin. Courtesy photo.

If being adorable was a job requirement, it’s no wonder Fin got the gig.The 14-week-old chocolate Labrador retriever has joined the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department’s Law Enforcement Division’s K-9 Team, according to a news release on the department’s website. Fin met his new partner, Fish and Game Conservation Officer Kenneth St. Pierre, in September. “Fin will work on basic obedience, tracking, and exposure to both evidence and fish and wildlife daily,” St. Pierre said in the news release. Fin was donated by Wes and Belinda Reed of Rise and Shine Retrievers in Barnstead.

Score: +1

Comment: Who wouldn’t want to go to work with a partner like that?

Holiday stroll canceled

The 27th annual Winter Holiday Stroll in Downtown Nashua will have to wait, as the event has been canceled this year, according to a press release from Great American Downtown. Typically held on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the stroll features performers, vendors, demonstrations and other attractions. With the ongoing community-based transmission of Covid-19, local health officials advised the City of Nashua and Great American Downtown that the event should be postponed until 2021.

Score: -1

Comment: As the holiday season approaches, Great American Downtown has planned several activities for downtown Nashua, including outdoor music, contests and the return of Plaid Friday to support small businesses the day after Thanksgiving.

New homes to help end homelessness

Four people who have been experiencing long-term homelessness will soon have new homes in the Green Street Apartments in Concord, according to a press release. The apartments, which have been renovated by the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, are the culmination of efforts from numerous local businesses and organizations, from Warren Street Architects supplying designs and construction oversight at a drastically reduced rate to the Concord Food Co-op, Franklin Savings Bank, Keeler Family Realtors and Merrimack County Savings Bank furnishing, decorating and stocking each of the four homes.

Score: +1

Comment: “Green Street is really the story of so many people coming together and of an opportunity for a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,” CCEH Director Ellen Groh said in the release.

ELL teacher honored

Danielle Boutin, an English Language Learner teacher at Ledge Street School in Nashua, has been named the 2021 New Hampshire Teacher of the Year by the Department of Education, according to a press release. Boutin teaches multilingual students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and she also works to connect her students and their families to community resources that can provide support for issues like food and housing insecurity, domestic violence and trauma.

Score: +1

Comment: “This has been one heck of a year in education,” Boutin said in the release. “All of the parents out there are also Teachers of the Year as they teach their kids from home. It takes a lot of people to help students succeed.”

QOL score: 61

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 63

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

Sox sub-plots abound

Given what’s happening in Patriots-land right now, if we want to talk about them it might be better to focus elsewhere. So after getting run over 33-6 by San Francisco on Sunday for the worst home loss in the Belichick era it’s convenient that the Pats’ Hall of Fame named its All-Dynasty team last week.

I am the world’s biggest sucker for arguing over all-time teams and I’ll take the bait to compare their selections to mine. If you missed the entire team, Google it, as for space reasons I’ll just focus on my quibbles and new additions, starting off with their grown-up version of everybody gets a trophy to avoid hurt feelings by naming an entire 40-man team. I hate that, so mine is like the All-Pro Team that names first team starters only. So where you see one guy vs. another, that refers to who wins the competition at that position. And if you have a beef, let me know.

Biggest no-brainers: Starting from the easiest to make.

1 – Tom Brady: Even though Matt Cassel, Jimmy G and Jacoby Brissett went 13-6 in the 19 starts TB missed, a better debate would be whether he’ll eventually be the All-Time QB in Tampa Bay before retiring.

2 – Adam V: TB isn’t the only local GOAT. Vinatieri earned the distinction by winning two SB’s with kicks as time expired and sending their first playoff game into OT with the greatest under-duress kick in NFL history through a blinding snowstorm off a frozen, uneven field spot from 47 yards out before winning it in OT.

3 – Richard Seymour: Do I need to remind anyone the first three SB wins were built around the D, not TB-12’s arm? Seymour was the best of several great defenders and there hasn’t been anyone as good on the D-line since, including Vince Wilfork. That’s why he’s a spot ahead of the more popular next guy.

4 – Gronk: He’s in the discussion for the GOAT tight end as well. But he had some long stretches of injuries when they still kept winning, including the playoff run to the 2016 SB win despite losing him for good in Week 11.

5 – Ty Law: A big-play Hall of Famer who was the real MVP of the first SB win, with three picks off Peyton Manning in the 2003 AFC title game win and being huge when they shut down Indy in the 20-3 playoff win the next year. Plus, they went 10 years without winning after he left in 2004 thanks to mostly terrible DB play.

6 – Randy Moss: Even though he didn’t win a SB is his three-year, four-game stay that predictably ended badly, his astonishing 98-catches, 1,423-yards, 23-TD debut 2007 season in Foxboro was among the best in league history for any receiver ever.

Slot receiver fight: With Troy Brown, Julian Edelman and Wes Welker there, this had been the position of the highest excellence of the dynasty and a near impossible choice. But while his regular season numbers don’t stand up to Welker’s 100 and 1,000 plus catches and receiving yards in five of his six seasons, Edelman gets it for clutch playoff work on three SB-winning teams.

Kevin Faulk vs. James White: Another heavyweight battle. Faulk was clutch and incredibly reliable. Ditto for White. But it’s White based on his astonishing 10-catch, 110-receiving yard, three-TD game in the SB comeback over Atlanta, which included scoring the TD to start the comeback from down 28-3, the two-point conversion to get it to one score and the TD’s that sent it to OT and won it. Faulk never had a game like that.

Dan Koppen vs. David Andrews: Granted I’m not the world’s leading expert on center play, but the interior guys need a little pub. So, while it could be related to their backups, things seem to go bad when Andrews misses games, like all last year. But Koppan only missed games in one of eight seasons in Foxboro, which included SB wins in ’03 and ’04. So it’s a tie.

Asante Samuel: I know, big-play guy, especially at slot corner. But the guy who dropped the right-in-his-hands pick in the final drive in 2007 that would’ve sealed the undefeated season can’t be first team All-Dynasty. Besides, Law and Stephon Gilmore were/are both better against the pass and run and multiple-time All-Pros.

Patrick Chung vs. Devin McCourty at safety: Chung has been great in his second stint but was shaky the first time around, while McCourty has been the team’s surest tackler and great since shifting to safety after starting as a corner. McCourty.

Honorable mention: All the guys on the Pats’ list and people who lost the head-to-head competitions, as well these special-circumstances additions.

NG – Ted Washington: Yes, he was a one and done, but he won as many SB’s as Wilfork and no one had a better season clogging the middle than him in 2003.

CB – Darrelle Revis:Ditto on the one year, but Coach B never won a SB without a great corner. So while he wasn’t quite at Revis Island peak, he transformed a defensive backfield that had been a hazardous waste dump site since 2009. No Revis, no 2014 SB title. That puts him in over the under-appreciated Otis (my man) Smith.

Corey Dillon: I go with Antowain Smith as the running back for his battering ram work that always seemed to get it on third and short for two SB-winning teams. But Dillion’s 1,623 rushing yards and 12 TD’s in 2004 was one of the best individual seasons during the dynasty.

Roman Phifer: The biggest surprise was seeing him on the 40-man team, as he’s the most forgotten good player from the first three SB wins. But 86 belongs here because this linebacker was solid, reliable and tough.

Snow angel maker – Lonie Paxton: No contest.

Moon mission

Local grad working on EagleCam project

Bedford High School grad William Edwards, now an undergrad at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, is one of 20 students working on “EagleCam,” the first-ever student project to be sent to the moon. Edwards talked about the mission of the project, his role on the project’s software team and what he is learning from this unique opportunity.

Why did you decide to go to Embry-Riddle and pursue a career in aeronautics?

I just like planes, honestly — aviation, aerospace, pretty much any fields having to do with flying or space. It’s something I was always interested in, even as a kid, and I just never lost interest. … A close family friend who knew I was really into aviation recommended the school to me because he knew it was a very good aviation-based school.

What is the EagleCam project?

It’s a module that’s going to be a payload on a Nova-C launcher from the company Intuitive Machines. The goal of the project is to take a third-person photo of the lunar lander actually landing on the surface of the moon. As the lander is coming down on the surface, it’s going to jettison our payload, and our EagleCam is going to take pictures of the lunar lander and send the pictures back to the lander via WiFi, and then the lander is going to send the data back to Earth. That’s the minimum requirements of this project. We’d also like EagleCam to continue to take pictures after it has landed to collect some information on dust plumes as the lunar lander actually makes its descent, and hopefully take some pictures of Earth as well.

How did you end up working on the EagleCam?

I actually had a friend of mine recommend me for it. She was already working on it, and I found out about it and said, ‘That sounds really cool,’ and she said, ‘Well, we need some extra help. Do you want to hop on?’ and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ … One of the reasons I came to Embry-Riddle is that I’ve always wanted to work on something important like this, like anything to do with research, and especially anything to do with space, so once I heard that this was a project based on the moon, I was like, ‘Absolutely, I need to do this.’

What is your role?

We have a couple teams. There’s the electrical engineering team, and they’re the ones who actually choose the computer that goes on board and the cameras that go on board, and they’re going to figure out the connections between our EagleCam and the Nova-C launcher. I’m on the software team, so I’m going to be the one who’s controlling the function of the cameras, when the payload is going to be jettisoned and the way the pictures are going to be taken. Also, the pictures are going to be taken with 186-degree cameras, so afterward we have to do some software post-processing to make the pictures look like normal-field-of-view pictures instead of wide-field-of-view pictures.

What are you working on right now, specifically?

Right now I’m just having to learn the [software] framework, and I’m making an application that controls the camera lens cleaners, so that if any dust particles get on the camera lens we can clean them off.

What’s the most exciting part of this experience for you?

I think it’s just the excitement of being able to do all of this and work on it for so long, and knowing that we’re going to get an end result that I could even make a screensaver on my phone. It’s also a great experience for me as a software engineer to actually be using NASA-based software frameworks to control our EagleCam and the jettison and any internal functions that we have on.

What has been the biggest challenge?

Learning the NASA software framework. It’s called cFS, and it’s a lot of C code, which I’m not too familiar with, so spending the first two or three weeks learning that has been pretty difficult.

Do you think the EagleCam project is helping to prepare you for what you want to do in the future?

Yes, most definitely. As a software engineer, being able to work on a team with electrical engineers and aerospace engineers is definitely an important skill. Since I want to be working in the aerospace industry, having the skills to communicate with them and understand what they’re doing and understand how my code influences their decisions and vice versa is definitely very important to me.

EagleCam
The Nova-C launcher carrying the EagleCam will launch in October 2021. To follow the progress of the project, see @ERAUEagleCam on Instagram and visit daytonabeach.erau.edu/eaglecam.

Featured photo: William Edwards. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 20/10/29

Covid-19 updateAs of October 19As of October 126
Total cases statewide9,74610,397
Total current infections statewide1,0201,002
Total deaths statewide468475
New cases603 (Oct. 12 to Oct. 19)651 (Oct. 20 to Oct. 26)
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

During an Oct. 22 press conference, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan provided a public health update on New Hampshire’s ongoing fight against Covid-19, saying that the state has seen about 80 new infections per day on average over the last one to two weeks.

With its updated numbers on Oct. 23, New Hampshire surpassed 10,000 positive tests for the virus since the start of the pandemic in March. Despite this, the state has the third lowest rate of new cases of Covid-19 per capita in the country, according to Gov. Chris Sununu, with the test-positivity rate continuing to be at around 1 percent.

Also on Oct. 23, the Governor’s Economic Re-Opening Task Force released new guidance documents for hockey and indoor ice arenas in the state, following a two-week “pause” that began on Oct. 15 of all indoor ice activities due to multiple Covid-19 outbreaks. All rink staff, volunteers, athletes, referees and coaches are required to be tested for the virus before Nov. 6. The guidance for indoor ice facilities prohibits restaurants, bars and arcades from being used, encourages sneeze guard barriers at check-in/check-out counters, and requires a one-way flow of foot traffic throughout the facility, with specific entry and exit points.

Details of Sununu’s Emergency Orders, Executive Orders, Re-Opening guidance documents and more can be found at governor.nh.gov.

Emergency order violations

Two businesses have been fined for not complying with the governor’s coronavirus emergency orders, and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office continues to get complaints from customers about noncompliance, according to an Oct. 26 report from WMUR. The complaints are mainly about workers not wearing masks and businesses not enforcing social distancing. According to an Oct. 19 press release, Fat Katz in Hudson was sent a notice of violation assessing a $2,000 civil penalty for allegedly bringing karaoke indoors. According to WMUR, New England Flag Football was also fined $2,000 for violations. “We were very clear in writing to those organizations and businesses as to what they needed to do, and they both confirmed with us they understood that and then they proceeded to do different things,” Associate Attorney General Anne Edwards said, according to WMUR. More fines are expected to be issued in the next few weeks as the Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate complaints, Edwards said.

Fire ban lifted

State officials have lifted the ban on certain fires now that some soaking rains have reduced the potential for wildfires, according to a press release. Kindling of open fires is now allowed, as is smoking outdoors in or near public woodlands or on public trails, and permits are once again available for fires greater than four feet in diameter and not contained within a ring of fire-resistive material. Permits are always required for any open burning, according to the release, and can be obtained from a local fire department or at nhfirepermit.com.

MediGap shopping

There’s a new free interactive online dashboard to help consumers who are shopping for Medicare Supplement (MediGap) plans, the New Hampshire Insurance Department announced in a press release. The dashboard will allow consumers to find and compare rates based on their gender, age, plan type and preferred company. MediGap policies help cover some health care costs that Medicare does not, including copayments, coinsurance and deductibles, according to the release. The rates on the dashboard are available during an individual’s open enrollment, a six-month period that begins the month the person turns 65 and has Medicare Part A and Part B, though people who are changing plans or want to get a renewal rate can contact specific companies directly, according to the release. Visit nh.gov/insurance or call 1-866-634-9412.

Drought assistance

Low-income New Hampshire homeowners who have residential wells with insufficient or no water because of the drought can get short-term relief and financial assistance with a new initiative from the state’s Drinking Water and Groundwater Advisory Commission and Department of Environmental Services. According to a press release, short-term relief will be available in the form of free bottled water deliveries for people whose income is at or below 80 percent of the area median household income and who have no water due to the ongoing drought. This is a temporary measure to ensure that everyone has access to clean water for drinking and cooking. For permanent drought relief, financial assistance will be available for improving or replacing residential wells, or to connect to an existing community water system. “Given the severity of the drought, recent precipitation has done relatively little to alter drought conditions impacting residential wells in New Hampshire,” NHDES Commissioner Bob Scott said in the release. “Residents still need to take every action to conserve water now and for the foreseeable future.” Income eligibility requirements and financial assistance information can be found at des.nh.gov.

Drug disposal

Last week, the New Hampshire Hospital Association, the New Hampshire Department of Education and the Foundation for Healthy Communities partnered with the Public Health Networks and the Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative of New Hampshire to distribute 25,000 prescription drug disposal bags throughout the state, according to a press release. In the past few months, 50,000 of the Deterra Drug Deactivation disposal pouches, donated by RALI NH, have been distributed as part of an effort to educate families on safe medicine storage and disposal practices. Making sure prescription medications are securely stored out of the reach of children and safely disposing of unused or expired medications can help prevent drug misuse, the release said. Find take-back locations at ralinh.org

At a press conference in Concord on Monday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it is awarding more than $12.3 million to agencies in New Hampshire to help protect children and families from lead-based paint and home health hazards, according to a press release. The week of Oct. 25 through Oct. 31 is Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

Free meal boxes that include 12 pounds of produce, 5 pounds of meat, 5 pounds of dairy and a gallon of 2-percent milk will be distributed to families in need on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 9 to 11 a.m. at SNHU Arena in Manchester, according to a press release. The food is being provided by Granite United Way, in partnership with the YMCA of Downtown Manchester, Southern New Hampshire University and the Manchester School District.

A socially distant groundbreaking ceremony for the new location of Family Promise of Southern New Hampshire is scheduled to be held Thursday, Oct. 29, at 3 Crown St. in Nashua. The renovated space will provide transitional housing to more than 25 families, which is double its current capacity, according to a press release.

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