Ricardo Perez is the owner of RIDOF Junk Removal in Nashua, which provides services that include removal of household junk, construction debris and appliances; real estate cleanouts; and small demolition projects.
Explain your job and what it entails?
We provide a service to make it easier for people to get rid of their junk. I’m the one who sets things up with customers, and then I go or someone else [on staff] goes to pick up the junk and bring it to where it needs to go [to be disposed of].
How long have you had this job?
We started the company in January, but I’ve been doing junk removal for 10 years or so.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
I’ve always had a kind of entrepreneur’s mentality. Last year, my wife and I opened up a food truck, but that didn’t go very well. I had done real estate cleanups in the past, so I figured I’d give it another try. Eight months later, [business] is very good. There are always people buying homes or trying to get rid of stuff, so we’ve been busy.
What kind of education or training did you need?
It’s kind of been learn-as-I-go. I’ve learned a lot through my experience and doing my own research.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
As a small business owner, I wish I had known that it’s OK to fail. Many times, I’ve done a job and didn’t make money off of it. There were even times when I lost money. In my previous business ventures if that happened I would say, ‘This is not worth it.’ Now I know that it’s not about how you fall; it’s how you get back up, because that’s how you learn and you grow.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
We don’t just take stuff to the dump; we actually help members of the community. For the average person, it might be easy to move furniture or get rid of something themselves, but there are many other people who can’t do that. We provide that service for them.
What was it like starting this business during the pandemic?
I figured it would be a good business to get into at this time, and it was. A lot of people are spending more time at home, so they have more time to clean and clear out their homes and get rid of stuff that they don’t want or need.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
Do whatever it takes to make a good name for yourself. It takes a lot of time and determination, and it can be slow, but it’s worth it.
What was the first job you ever had?
My dad did event photography, so I would go with him on the weekends to events to hold equipment and be a helping hand.
Five favorites Favorite book: Think and Grow Rich Favorite movie: The Sandlot Favorite music: Darius Rucker Favorite food: My mom’s food. She owns a Mexican restaurant in Brookline. Favorite thing about NH: The four seasons.
The Friends of Aine’s 9th annual Try-Athlon is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 15, starting at 8 a.m. The event will take place at the Bedford town pool (on County Road) and the nearby Bedford High School and will feature swimming, biking and running events specially designed for kids of all abilities in the 4 to 10 age group and the 11 to 15 age group, according to friendsofaine.com, where you can register for $40 per kid in advance (registration on the day costs $45). There will be a post-race family festival with food, games, vendors, face painting and more, according to the website.
Old Home Days
As mentioned in This Week on page 9, there are several Old Home Days coming up on the calendar. For families looking for some fun, here are some of the events they can expect.
Hudson’s Old Home Days runs Thursday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 15, at Hills House (211 Derry Road in Hudson). Events with special interest for kids include a fairgrounds trick-or-treat from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday with costumes encouraged so kids can join the Parade of Horribles at 6:30 p.m. and then kids games starting at 7 p.m.; kids cornhole during the adult tournament (which starts at 7 p.m. on Friday), and kids games from noon to 4 p.m. and a haystack hunt at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Rides and food vendors will be available throughout the event, which runs 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday, noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. See hudsonoldhomedays.com for details.
Epsom’sOld Home Weekend begins Friday, Aug. 13, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 15, with events happening at Webster Park in Epsom. Friday’s events from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. include a cookout, s’mores and popcorn and storytime for the kids, according to the town’s website. Saturday’s schedule of events runs from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and includes a parade, kids games, a pony ride, a petting zoo, food and other vendors, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament (including for youth sixth grade and up) at 2 p.m., a climbing wall, a bouncy slide and fireworks at dusk. On Sunday, events run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and include a road race (running or walking; starting time for that is 8:30 a.m.) and a resident yard sale, according to epsomnh.org.
Londonderry’s Old Home Days starts the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 18, and runs through Saturday, Aug. 21. According to the event’s schedule, Wednesday is senior night with bingo at 4 p.m., a barbecue dinner from the Lions at 5 p.m. and a 7 p.m. concert with Neurotic Gumbo (a classic rock band) at the Londonderry Town Common. Find the event on Facebook for more information.
Take a drive for family fun
Head to the meadow at Castle in the Clouds (455 Old Mountain Road in Moultonborough; 476-5900, castleintheclouds.org) for a free family fun day on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day will include lawn games, kite flying, a scavenger hunt, balloon animals, a gaga pit, disc golf, crafts, live music and an opportunity to feed the rainbow trout in Shannon Pond, according to a press release. Lunch, ice cream and beverages will be available for purchase at the Cafe in the Clouds, the release said. Castle in the Cloud is partnering with the Lakes Region Conservation Trust and the Moultonborough Recreation Department, the release said.
The annual HamptonBeach Children’s Festival kicks off Monday, Aug. 16, and runs through Friday, Aug. 20, with programing on Hampton Beach, according to the Hampton Beach Village District website (hamptonbeach.org) and Facebook pages. Monday’s programming includes a BJ Hickman magic show (10 a.m.), rainbow sand art (11 a.m.) and movie night featuring Moana (PG, 2016) at dusk. Tuesday find magician juggler Robert Clarke (10 a.m.) and a touch-a-truck with Hampton Fire and Police (2 p.m). On Wednesday, DrumatiX performs tap dance and percussion (10 a.m.), there will be games on the beach (11 a.m. with OfftheWallKidz), a hula hoop performance with Little Legume (3:30 p.m.) and fireworks (9:30 p.m.). On all three days face painting is available from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — all according to a schedule posted on the group’s Facebook page. The week is capped off with a children’s costume parade on Friday (11 a.m.) and pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus (1 p.m.), according to the schedule.
Live performances
The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series. Finishing up this week’s run is Rapunzel on Thursday, Aug. 12. Next week, the production is Cinderella, Tuesday, Aug. 17, through Thursday, Aug. 19. Showtimes are at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and tickets cost $10 per person.
The Prescott Park Arts Festival wraps up this year’s musical, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, with shows Thursday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 15. Thursday and Sunday shows start at 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday shows start at 8 p.m. Go online to prescottpark.org to see the reservation options. Prescott Park is at 105 Marcy St. in Portsmouth.
Movie night
See the tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast, on Friday, Aug. 13, in Wasserman Park (116 Naticook Road in Merrimack) as part of the town’s summer movies in the park. The screening starts at dusk and the films are free and open to residents and nonresidents, according to the town’s Parks and Recreation website.
This Friday’s “Pics in the Park” film at Greeley Park in Nashua is Jumanji: The Next Level (PG-13, 2019), which will start screening at dusk on Friday, Aug. 13, at the park’s Bandshell, 100 Concord St. The screening is part of the city’s SummerFun lineup; see nashuanh.gov.
The Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will be screening some films to raise money for the Ballet Misha. On Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 7 p.m., catch Disney’s animated Tangled (PG, 2010). On Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m., the theater will screen Frozen (PG, 2013). Tickets to either show cost $12.
Save the date
The Manchester Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; manchesterhistoric.org) will hold an American Girl Doll Tea Party on Saturday, Aug. 21, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10 per person and include tea party and a craft, according to the website. Advance reservations are required.
Can you help with a value on this old telescope? I’m not sure it’s still working properly but really liked the look.
Cecile
Dear Cecile,
I like the look too. Great antique decorative item.
There were several telescope manufactures and many sizes and and distance purposes. What I noticed about yours from the pictures is the leather sheathing that usually covered the brass is missing. Also, the top of the scope seems to have damage, so this could be why it might not be working. The damage could be from a fall or just wear and tear over the years. They are from the early to mid 1900s.
In the condition yours is in I would say it is just for decorative purposes and the value would be under $25. If it were complete, and depending on the maker, it would be in the $100+ range.
Recently I was at my local food coop and chatted with a friend about her gardens. She told me that she is having fabulous luck growing tomatoes, peppers and more in a bucket system she constructed. Her inspiration was a book by Vermont’s Ed Smith, who has written a number of great books, including The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible. And although I have used the Ed Smith system in the past, it’s good to see how another person uses it, so I visited her to see what she has done.
Susan Pillsbury has nine or 10 self-watering containers, each made from two 5-gallon buckets. Here is what she did: The bottom bucket is the water reservoir; the top bucket, which nestles inside it, holds soil mix. There is a 3- or 4-inch piece of PVC plumber’s pipe (3-inch diameter) that stands up in the bottom bucket and is full of holes she drilled in it.
The piece of pipe sits in the lower bucket and supports the upper bucket. She used a 2-inch hole saw to put a wide hole in the bottom of the upper bucket, right in the middle.
Holes in lower bucket allow watering from below and draining in times of heavy rains. Courtesy photo.
That short piece of pipe gets filled with soil mix, and because it is sitting in the water reservoir, the soil is constantly wet. Like a wet sponge, it wicks water into the soil in the upper bucket. The wicking action keeps the soil for the plant roots lightly moist. The problem with growing veggies in big pots or buckets is often that they dry out or get waterlogged.
Her lower buckets all have one-inch holes drilled just below the bottom of the upper bucket. If she gets a flood of rain, water passes through the upper bucket and out the lower bucket through those holes. This also allows her to fill the water reservoir from the bottom with a hose. Susan also drilled lots of quarter-inch holes in the bottom of the upper bucket for added drainage.
I asked Susan what kind of soil she used in the buckets. She bought potting mix and mixed it with her own homemade compost in a 50-50 mix. Because a 5-gallon bucket has plenty of soil for roots, and she uses a rich mixture, she does not add any fertilizer.
What does all this cost? Not much, really. Her biggest expense was the plastic buckets, which cost about $5 each, though they are often available free from building contractors. A big bag of potting soil might cost $10 to $12 and would be enough for three or four buckets, once mixed with homemade compost. Purchased compost would add to the cost, but most gardeners make their own. Plastic pipe is not expensive.
I noticed that Susan’s tomatoes were free of disease. Most tomatoes planted in the ground have at least some blight that blackens and kills lower leaves, eventually leaving a plant bare of leaves by September. The most common form of blight lives in the soil and splashes up onto leaves when it rains. But since her plants are in potting soil and cured compost, she has avoided the disease — at least so far. Not only that, her plants are in a fenced dog pen (to avoid deer) and no tomatoes have been grown in there in the past. Obviously blight could blow in and infect her plants, but so far, so good.
Next year Susan intends to grow corn in her self-watering containers. She will use six sets of buckets, each with one or more corn plants. Placed in close proximity, this should allow good pollination. From what she has read, she will need corn plants that are relatively small, given the amount of soil each will be planted in. I watched an online video of corn planted in 30-gallon totes with up to 11 plants in each tote. The ears were large and each plant produced more than one ear.
My Veg Trug grows peppers, herbs and flowers this year. Courtesy photo.
I called Ed Smith to see if he had any updates since writing The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible. He and his wife, Sylvia, still grow some vegetables in containers as well as in the ground. Ed turned 80 recently and likes using containers so he doesn’t have to bend quite so far.
Ed told me that he doesn’t bother with self-watering containers any more. He has several 2-foot by 3-foot containers he got from Gardener’s Supply as self-watering containers, but removed the baffle separating the water reservoir from the planting space, giving him deeper containers that he waters as needed from above. He is semi-retired and rarely travels, so that works for him. If you are at work five days a week, a self-watering container is probably a better idea for you.
I‘ve experimented with self-watering containers and ordinary containers. The best type I’ve used is called a “Veg Trug” and is sold by Gardener’s Supply. It is a tall V-shaped wooden bin 6 feet by 30 inches and 16 inches deep in the middle. I’ve grown tomatoes, peppers, herbs and flowers in it with good success — and no bending over. It’s made of cedar; mine is in its fifth summer of use and still going strong. I empty it each winter and put it inside, but reuse the potting soil, just adding a little compost and fertilizer each spring.
Even if you’re a city dweller with little space you can grow a few things on a deck or between the sidewalk and the street. Give it a try!
Featured photo:Tomatoes growing without blight using self-watering system with buckets. Courtesy photo.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• Stories from history: The Manchester Historic Association presents A Midsummer Night’s Cemetery Tour at Pine Grove Cemetery (765 Brown Ave., Manchester) on Thursday, Aug. 26, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The interactive nighttime cemetery tour will feature actors from The Majestic Theatre telling first-person accounts of notable figures in Manchester history, such as Frank Carpenter and Nehemiah Bean. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required. Tickets cost $20 for general admission and $10 for Manchester Historic Association members. Visit manchesterhistoric.org/events or call 622-7531.
• Calling women artists: Girls at Work, a Manchester-based nonprofit that empowers girls through woodworking and building, is seeking artists for its inaugural Women’s Artisan Fair scheduled for Oct. 15 and Oct. 16. Women artisans are invited to submit handcrafted fashion pieces, home goods, paintings and other visual arts for consideration, according to a press release. There is an online form to request more information about how to submit artwork. Visit girlswork.org or call 345-0392.
• Outdoor violin concert: The Suzuki Strings return to Canterbury Shaker Village(288 Shaker Road, Canterbury) on Sunday, Aug. 15, at 4 p.m. as part of the Village’s Music on the Meeting House Green outdoor summer concert series. The Suzuki Strings is a group of student violinists from all over New Hampshire who have learned to play violin using the methodology of Japanese musician and music educator Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998). There is a suggested donation of $10 per person. Call 783-9511 or visit shakers.org.
• Authors in Warner: In-person author events have returned to MainStreet BookEnds (16 E. Main St., Warner), the bookstore announced in a newsletter. Meet local author, teacher and thru-hiker Michael “Sy” Sisemore on Saturday, Aug. 14, at 2 p.m. Sisemore will discuss his book In the Real World I Hike: Transformation of Purpose and Self in 5 Million Easy Steps, which features a collection of stories from long-distance Appalachian Trail thru-hikers about how hiking changed their lives. Other upcoming author appearances include New Hampshire middle-grade novelist Amy Makechnie on Saturday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m., and New Hampshire poet L.R. Berger on Saturday, Aug. 28, at 4 p.m. Call 456-2700 or visit mainstreetbookends.com.
• Last chance for these shows: Don’t miss thePrescott Park Arts Festival (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth) summer theater production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, going on now through Aug. 15, with showtimes on Thursday and Sunday at 7 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. The show, presented by Wilcox, features a revue of songs and vignettes based on Charles Shulz’ beloved comic strip. General admission is a $5 donation at the gate, or reserved seating is available for $49 to $99. Visit prescottpark.org.
The Peterborough Players present Our Town. Courtesy photo.
The Peterborough Players (55 Hadley Road, Peterborough) continue their production of Our Town through Aug. 15, with showtimes Wednesday through Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Performances take place at the Players’ outdoor theater space, located off Phoenix Mill Lane in downtown Peterborough. The 1938 play by Thornton Wilder tells of love, life and death in the fictional small New Hampshire town of Grover’s Corners. According to the Players’ website, the company first produced the play in 1940 with consultation from Wilder himself. It has since become the Players’ most produced play to date. Tickets cost $47. Visit peterboroughplayers.org or call 924-7585.
Exhibits
SHEAFE WAREHOUSE EXHIBIT AND SALE Featuring works in a variety of media by nearly 40 artists with the New Hampshire Art Association. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, from noon to 7 p.m., now through Aug. 29. Prescott Park, 105-123 Marcy St., Portsmouth. Visit nhartsassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• NEW HAMPSHIRE ART ASSOCIATION EXHIBITS Featuring the work of painters Joe Flaherty of Portsmouth and Maryclare Heffernan of Candia during August. An opening reception will be held on Fri., Aug. 13, from 5 to 8 p.m. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Creative Framing Solutions, 89 Hanover St., Manchester. Visit nhartsassociation.org or call 320-5988.
• “FRESH PERSPECTIVES” Exhibit features works by New Hampshire artists Peter Milton, Varujan Boghosian, Robert Hughes and others. New Hampshire Antique Co-op (323 Elm St., Milford). On view in the Co-op’s Tower Gallery now through Aug. 31. Visit nhantiquecoop.com.
• “FASHION FORWARD: AFRICANA STYLE” Exhibit showcases Black fashion and explores connections between African American and African design aesthetics from past to present. The Seacoast African American Cultural Center (located inside the Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth). On view now through Sept. 1. Gallery hours are Monday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; visitors must reserve a 45-minute time slot in advance. Walk-in guests will be accommodated as space permits. Tickets cost $10 for the general public and $5 for Historical Society members and are available through eventbrite.com. Visit saacc-nh.org.
• “THE BODY IN ART: FROM THE SPIRITUAL TO THE SENSUAL” Exhibit provides a look at how artists through the ages have used the human body as a means of creative expression. On view now through Sept. 1. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “DON GORVETT: WORKING WATERFRONTS” Exhibit features more than 60 works by the contemporary Seacoast printmaker. The Portsmouth Historical Society (10 Middle St., Portsmouth). On view now through Sept. 12. Gallery hours are daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $7.50 for adults and is free for kids under age 18, seniors age 70 and older and active and retired military. Admission is free for all on the first Friday of every month. Visit portsmouthhistory.org.
• “TWILIGHT OF AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM” Exhibit showcases New England painters and masters of impressionism Alice Ruggles Sohier and Frederick A. Bosley. On view now through Sept. 12. Portsmouth Historical Society (10 Middle St., Portsmouth). Gallery hours are daily, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs $7.50 for adults and is free for kids under age 18, seniors age 70 and older and active and retired military. Admission is free for all on the first Friday of every month. Visit portsmouthhistory.org.
• “CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY” Exhibit features immersive large-scale drawings by Larissa Fassler that reflect the Berlin-based artist’s observations of downtown Manchester while she was an artist-in-residence at the Currier Museum in 2019. On view now through fall. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• 1,000 CRANES FOR NASHUA Featuring more than 1,000 origami paper cranes created by hundreds of Nashua-area kids, adults and families since April. On display now at The Atrium at St. Joseph Hospital, 172 Kinsley St., Nashua. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.
• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “ROBERTO LUGO: TE TRAIGO MI LE LO LAI – I BRING YOU MY JOY” Philadelphia-based potter reimagines traditional forms and techniques with inspiration from urban graffiti and hip-hop culture, paying homage to his Puerto Rican heritage and exploring his cultural identity and its connection to family, place and legacy. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Sept. 26. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.
• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibit in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].
• “TENSION: PROCESS IN THE MAKING” The Surface Design Association’s (SDA) New Hampshire Group presents an exhibit featuring fiber art and textiles by New Hampshire artists. July 24 through Sept. 4. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.
• “SUMMER HAZE” Concord artist and gallery owner Jess Barnet hosts her first group art exhibit. Gallery located in the Patriot Investment building, 4 Park St., Suite 216, Concord. On view Aug. 6 through Sept. 3. Visit jessbarnett.com.
Fairs and markets
• CONCORD ARTS MARKET Outdoor artisan and fine art market. Every third Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Now through October. Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). Visit concordartsmarket.net.
• GREELEY PARK ART SHOW Annual outdoor juried art show hosted by Nashua Area Artists Association features a variety of artwork for sale. Sat., Aug. 21, and Sun., Aug. 22, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 100 Concord St., Nashua. Visit nashuaareaartistsassoc.org.
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.
Workshops and classes
• GENERAL ART CLASSES In-person art classes for all levels and two-dimensional media. held with small groups of two to five students. Private classes are also available. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Students are asked to wear masks in the gallery. Tuition costs $20 per group class and $28 per private class, with payment due at the beginning of the class. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.
• DRAWING & PAINTING CLASSES Art House Studios, 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students. Visit arthousestudios.org.
Theater
Shows
TELL ME ON A SUNDAY The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents. 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith. Now through Aug. 14, with showtimes Tuesday through Saturday, at 7:30 p.m., plus a matinee on Thursday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 to $39. Visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.
• CABARET The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Now through Sept. 5. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
• RAPUNZEL The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Wed., Aug. 11, through Thurs., Aug. 12, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.
• CINDERELLA The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Tues., Aug. 17, through Thurs., Aug. 19, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.
• MAD HAUS The Seacoast Repertory Theatre presents. 125 Bow St., Portsmouth. Sun., Aug. 18, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15. The show is also available to livestream. Visit seacoastrep.org.
• HOOLIGANS AND CONVICTS The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents. 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith. Aug. 18 through Sept. 4, with showtimes Tuesday through Saturday, at 7:30 p.m., plus matinees on Tuesday, Aug. 24, and Thursday, Aug. 26, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 to $39. Visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.
• SLEEPING BEAUTY The 2021 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series presents. Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). Tues., Aug. 24, through Thurs., Aug. 26, 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Visit palacetheatre.org.
• IT HAD TO BE YOU The Winnipesaukee Playhouse presents. 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith. Sept. 1 through Sept. 18, with showtimes Tuesday through Saturday at 4 p.m., plus matinees on Saturdays, Sept. 11 and Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $20 to $37. Visit winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org.
• TRUE TALES LIVE Monthly showcase of storytellers. Held virtually via Zoom. Last Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., September through December. Visit truetaleslivenh.org.
Concerts
• SUZUKI STRINGS Violin students perform. Canterbury Shaker Village(288 Shaker Road, Canterbury). Sun., Aug. 15, 4 p.m. Suggested donation $10 per person.
Summer Haze group art exhibition at Concord studio
Diverse pieces that capture the essence of steamy summer days will be on display during a group art exhibition at Jess Barnett Art Studio in Concord. The art is hanging now through Sept. 3, with an opening reception on Friday, Aug. 13, when the artists will be in the gallery to talk about their work.
The Summer Haze exhibition features pieces from five artists and is the first group exhibition Barnett has hosted since she opened her studio in November 2019.
“Covid kind of put a damper on [the studio opening],” Barnett said, “so this is really exciting to be able to have the group show.”
Earlier this year Barnett put out a call for entries to New England artists, asking for submissions that were based on the Summer Haze theme.
She ended up working with artists from New Hampshire and Massachusetts, plus one from New York, and between the five of them — Barnett included — there are about 10 to 12 pieces in the exhibition.
“It’s a good size for the gallery,” Barnett said. “It was pretty easy to fit everything in there and make [it] look good next to each other. It takes up one wall of the gallery, and then I have [my work] hanging on the other walls.”
Barnett’s pieces include a couple of new paintings that she hasn’t shown yet, including an abstract painting called “Lilac Season,” plus a couple of older pieces that go well with the theme, she said.
The exhibition is diverse, Barnett said, with paintings, drawings and glass art.
“I can’t really do installation art [because of space], so I wanted to have two-dimensional pieces and glass,” she said.
Karen Mehos, a glass artist from Boscawen, produces mainly stained glass and small glass works. She’s showing a glass bowl called “Small Town Sunset,” featuring a cityscape against a sunset background. It was made by melting glass in a kiln, using colored glass powders on a clear glass base, fusing them together into a flat disk in the 1,450-degree kiln, then softening them with heat again before using a ceramic mold to give it shape.
“It’s pretty innovative and cool how she did that, and she made it just for the show,” Barnett said.
Kathy Bouchard from Nashua has two acrylic paintings of kimonos in the show.
“It’s a cross between realistic and abstract,” Barnett said. “Her art is just really cool.”
The other two artists are Jason Michael Rielly of New York and Lorna Ritz of Massachusetts. Rielly’s art represents both the abstract and expressionism genres of artistic style, Barnett said. She said the work he put in the exhibition highlights these styles and communicates strong emotion, mood and vibrancy.
“They’re almost floral, but more abstract,” she said.
Ritz is a third-generation abstract expressionist-impressionist who paints landscapes.
“I paint the changing seasons as they occur, the light that emanates from seasonal color combinations that occur in landscape,” Ritz wrote about her work.
All of the work in the show is for sale, and for those who can’t make the reception and meet the artists, there will be labels with the artists’ information on the pieces for anyone who wants to learn more about them and their work.
For the reception, Barnett will be giving out a small gift bag with a piece of art to everyone who attends, and she encourages the general public to check it out.
“It’s a very laid back atmosphere. [We] aren’t snobby art people,” she said.
Barnett said she hopes to have more group exhibitions in the future, and she will invite artists of all levels, even those who are just dipping their toes into art, to participate.
“I just really feel that everyone, if they want to, should experiment with art,” she said. “Art can be a really good release for people to express emotion. … You don’t have to go to art school [to be an artist].”
Summer Haze group art exhibition
Where: Opening reception Friday, Aug. 13, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. When: Jess Barnett Art Studio, 4 Park St., Suite 216, Concord. The reception is free, and light refreshments will be served. RSVPs are encouraged on the gallery’s Facebook page but are not required. The exhibition will be hanging through Sept. 3.
Featured photo: The Summer Haze exhibition is on display now at Jess Barnett Art Studio. Courtesy photo.
