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Farm Fun

Get in the harvest season spirit with some pig racing and corn mazes

It’s a farm’s time to shine.

Here in the thick of the late summer early fall harvest season, farms are getting a chance to show off their hard work — from displaying animals at upcoming fairs to welcoming guests for some agritainment.

Hence that cover pig. Pig-related events feature on the schedule of both the upcoming Granite State Fair and the Deerfield Fair. In addition to the pig barn and some pig racing on the schedule, you can see other animals in the barnyard babies, petting zoo and cattle barn at the Granite State Fair, which kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 16. Starting Sept. 30, you can see the horses, alpacas, sheep, goats and more at the Deerfield Fair.

There are also good reasons to go visit a local farm or orchard. Local corn mazes have opened their attractions, offering a chance to spend some time in their corn fields. Apple picking season has started and growers are reporting that it’s been a good year for apples.

Feeling in the mood for some farm fun? Here are a few places to go.

Farmers at the fair

Animals are the highlight of New Hampshire’s agricultural fairs

By Angie Sykeny

From live music and amusement rides to demonstrations and delicious food, New Hampshire state fairs offer all kinds of fun, but the heart of the fair remains the same year after year.

“Agriculture is the bedrock of what fairs represent,” said E.J. Dean, fair coordinator for the Granite State Fair in Rochester. “Farmers wanting to showcase all of their hard work is how the fairs were born.”

“The largest percentage of time that a patron spends at any fairground is looking through the barns,” co-coordinator Mark Perry added. “At the end of that day, that’s why people come.”

For local farmers, the fair is a chance to engage with the public, spread the word about their farms and promote their products — like a farmers market, Dean said, but on a larger scale.

“The farmers are proud,” he said. “They love talking with people and showing off what they do.”

For fairgoers, the fair is a place to learn about agriculture in the state and see up-close how a cow is milked, how a sheep is sheared, how butter is made and more.

“When you hear that there’s 21 billion gallons of milk produced in the United States each year, it’s hard to quantify that number,” Dean said. “[The fair] sheds some light on the [agriculture] industry and puts all of the things that we take for granted in perspective.”

Putting a face to the name behind where their food comes from can encourage people to buy more local food and products, Perry said.

“People see and hear things [about food] in the news, and they want to know what is true,” he said. “Who better to ask than the farmer who produces the food?”

Another goal of the fair, Perry said, is to expand agriculture in the state by inspiring people with homesteads to take up farming, even if only on a small scale. Just half an acre is enough for a person to raise animals such as rabbits, chickens or goats, he said.

“As the number of full-time farmers decreases, there’s a need that’s being filled by part-time farmers,” he said. “We want to help champion those part-time farmers.”

But educating the public about agriculture isn’t the only mission of the fair, Perry said; making the experience fun and memorable is equally important, especially for children and families, and for people living in urban areas who don’t have many opportunities to visit farms or see live animals.

“When a kid gets to reach out and touch a calf or see a cow being milked for the first time, that’s a powerful thing,” Perry said. “There’s magic in that moment.”

Granite State Fair

Daily festivities include a cattle barn, pig barn, barnyard babies, exhibitions and displays, chickery, a petting zoo and live judging in the exhibition hall. Helicopter rides will be offered Friday through Sunday. Daily entertainment will include racing pigs, Circus Hollywood ($15 for a ringside box for up to four people) and a variety of live music. Recycled Percussion will perform on Friday, Sept. 17, at 8 p.m. (Tickets are $20). The horse pulling competition will take place on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. A mechanical bull riding competition will be held on both Thursdays, a cornhole tournament on both Fridays, and a demolition derby on both Sundays.
When: Thursday through Sunday, from Sept. 16 through Sept. 19, and Sept. 23 through Sept. 26. On Thursday and Friday, both the main fair and midway open at 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the main fair opens at 10 a.m., and the midway opens at noon.
Where: 72 Lafayette St., Rochester
Tickets: $10 per person, free for children age 8 and under. Plus $7 for parking. Wristbands are available for $25 on Thursday from 4 p.m. to close, Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., and, on the final Sunday, from 5 p.m. to close.
More info: granitestatefair.com

Deerfield Fair

Daily festivities include agricultural shows like a horse pull, pig scramble, cattle pull and more, as well as agricultural demonstrations, exhibits and competitions; tractor pulls and demonstrations; children’s shows and activities; magic shows; a variety of live music on multiple stages and strolling performers. Special events include a woodsman contest on Thursday at 10 a.m., a pumpkin weigh-off on Thursday at 6 p.m., Granite State Disc Dogs on Saturday at 2 and 4 p.m., a truck pull on Saturday at 5 p.m., and a women’s frypan toss on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Where: 34 Stage Road, Deerfield
When: Thursday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 3. Hours are 8 a.m. to 10 pm., Thursday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Sunday.
Tickets: $12 for adults ($10 if purchased online before Sept. 27), free for kids age 12 and under and for active military and veterans. $9 for seniors age 65 and older on Thursday and Friday at the gate only. Premium parking is available for $10. Midway wristbands are available for $30 on Friday (valid through 6 p.m.) and for $35 on Sunday (valid through closing).
More info: deerfieldfair.com

Mazes of maize

Lose yourself in a corn maze this fall

By Matt Ingersoll

Traversing through a corn maze is a uniquely fall activity at the farm — most of them are open to the public from early to mid-September through about Halloween. From family-friendly mazes to spookier nighttime outings, there are all kinds of unique features and experiences you can discover as you make your way through the cornfields trying to get out.

Corn maze at Sherman Farm. Courtesy photo.

At Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn in Hopkinton, there are two different 4-acre corn mazes with their own distinct themes that are never repeated after each year. Co-owner Holly Kimball, who was an elementary school teacher for more than 20 years, said she has a lot of fun designing the mazes and implementing various educational aspects into each theme.

“It’s a great outdoor activity that appeals to all ages,” Kimball said of the mazes. “This is our 24th year doing the mazes … and [they have] become a fall tradition for many people. … We get field trips from elementary school students right up through high school, [and] it can be a fun date activity or an outing for workplace team building.”

This year happens to be the 250th anniversary of the nine-generation Beech Hill Farm, a milestone Kimball has integrated into one of the corn mazes. People are given a crossword puzzle with different clues to the answers they must search through the maze to find. Each clue has to do with a different fact about farming history.

The other corn maze activity at Beech Hill Farm is what Kimball calls a “Clue-Dunnit,” featuring a corn maze mystery twist on the popular board game. Attendees are tasked with finding the “suspect” who stole the weather vane off the top of the farm’s barn.

“It’s a cornfield scavenger hunt, where you go through with a checklist and find the ‘suspects,’ which are all farm animals,” she said. “They are all signs people have to find in the maze.”

Animals are also regularly used corn maze themes at Coppal House Farm in Lee. Owner John Hutton said they will usually focus on a different animal or bird each year that you’re likely to find in your backyard. As you make your way deeper into the maze, you’ll come across different facts about that animal — this year, he said, it’s all about red foxes.

“The different facts you find … help you navigate your way through the maze,” Hutton said, “so on top of learning about the fox, it’s a scavenger hunt. … It’s something fun that the whole family can do together, and it’s very interactive with no electronics involved.”

In Milford, Trombly Gardens has a corn maze that’s open to the public from dawn to dusk, with four wooden farm animals each maze-goer is challenged to find. According to business manager Alicia Kurlander, a Halloween-themed “haunted” corn maze with actors is currently in the works for each weekend throughout the month of October.

Where to find a local corn maze

Check out this list of local farms and orchards with corn mazes to discover this fall. Many of them feature their own unique themes, often with clues you must find to navigate your way out.

Applecrest Farm Orchards
133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com
Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $7 per person and free for ages 5 and under
This 8-acre corn field features a maze of twists and turns that typically remains open through Halloween or early November depending on the weather conditions, according to Applecrest Farm Orchards owner Todd Wagner. Visitors who want to traverse it during the week are encouraged to check in at the farm market, as the maze entrance is only staffed on the weekends.

Beans & Greens Farm
245 Intervale Road, Gilford, 293-2853, beansandgreensfarm.com
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; a night maze is offered Thursday through Saturday, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., with a final sweep of the maze at 10 p.m.
Cost: $14 for adults and $10 for kids; the cost for the night maze ranges from $18 to $22 (tentative)
According to Cheyenne Patterson of the farm’s management team, the corn maze will open for the season on Sept. 17 and will conclude with a special Halloween-themed maze on Oct. 31.

Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn
107 Beech Hill Road, Hopkinton, 223-0828, beechhillfarm.com
Hours: Daily, noon to dusk
Cost: $6 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under
Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn has two 4-acre corn mazes, and one applied rate gives you access to both. Co-owner Holly Kimball said the farm has been offering them for more than two decades, with a different theme each year that has never been repeated. This year’s mazes include a cornfield-sized “crossword puzzle” in celebration of the farm’s 250th anniversary in 2021, as well as a “Clue-Dunnit” corn maze inspired by the popular board game.

Brookdale Fruit Farm
41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Cost: $3 per person
The corn maze, set to open soon, is among several of the family-friendly activities that will be available at Brookdale Fruit Farm this fall, along with hayrides and apple picking.

Coppal House Farm
118 N. River Road, Lee, 659-3572, nhcornmaze.com
Hours: Monday, Thursday and Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance is at 4:30 p.m.). Columbus Day hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $9 for adults, $7 for kids ages 5 to 12 and for students, seniors and active military service members, and free for kids ages 5 and under
Coppal House Farm features two corn mazes, with a different theme every year centered around a bird or animal you might see in your backyard.
This year the theme is red foxes — maze attendees will learn various facts about the red fox that help them navigate their way out of the maze. Coppal House Farm co-owner John Hutton said the mazes are typically open through the last weekend of October, after which the corn is harvested for grain. There are also three upcoming nighttime maze dates that are open to the public, scheduled for Sept. 18, Oct. 9 and Oct. 23 (general admission is $12 per person; online ticketing only). Bring your own flashlight.

Elwood Orchards
54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com
Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entrance is at 5 p.m.)
Cost: $10 per person and free for kids ages 5 and under
The 15-acre corn maze at this family-owned and -operated farm and orchard is open now through the first weekend of November, owner Wayne Elwood said. Throughout the month of October, there is also a nighttime maze on Fridays and Saturdays that runs until 10 p.m. (last entrance is at 9 p.m.). Bring your own flashlight.

Emery Farm
147 Piscataqua Road, Durham, 742-8495, emeryfarm.com
Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $5 per person and free for kids ages 2 and under
This corn maze, featuring an educational pollinator theme, will be open daily through Oct. 31. Tickets can be purchased inside the farm’s market and cafe.

J & F Farms
124 Chester Road, Derry, 437-0535, jandffarmsnh.com
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $8 per person
One of several available family-friendly activities, the corn maze at this longtime family-run farm is open to the public now through the end of October.

Lavoie’s Farm
172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.com
Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cost: Free
At the family-owned and -operated Lavoie’s Farm, visitors can traverse the 3-acre corn maze with a pick-your-own apple or pumpkin purchase.

Riverview Farm
141 River Road, Plainfield, 298-8519, riverviewnh.com
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cost: $5 per person and free for kids ages 4 and under
Artist and illustrator Emily Zea comes up with all kinds of unique themes each year for Riverview Farm’s corn maze. The theme of this year’s 3-acre maze is Ghosts and Monsters of New England.

Scamman Farm
69 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham, 686-1258, scammanfarm.com
Hours: Monday, and Wednesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entrance is at 4:30 p.m.)
Cost: $9 for adults, $7 for kids ages 5 to 12 and for seniors and active military service members, and free for kids ages 4 and under with a paid adult
At more than 6 acres, Scamman’s Farm’s corn maze features a different theme every year. This year’s theme is “Fantasy Land.”

Sherman Farm
2679 E. Conway Road, Center Conway, 939-2412, shermanfarmnh.com
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Varies from $12 to $15 per person, depending on the day, and free for kids ages 2 and under
Known simply as “The Maize,” this year’s 12-acre corn maze was designed with help from students at Pine Street Elementary School in Center Conway. It’s due to open for the season on Sept. 18 and will welcome visitors every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 24.

Trombly Gardens
150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net
Hours: Daily, dawn to dusk
Cost: $5 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under
Four wooden animals hidden throughout this corn maze for attendees to attempt to find. Trombly Gardens business manager Alicia Kurlander said a Halloween-themed haunted nighttime maze with actors who will try to jump out and scare you is also being planned for each weekend throughout the month of October. You can receive a discount to enter the corn maze if you bring a non-perishable canned food item to donate to the local food bank.

Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard
66 Mason Road, Greenville, 878-2101, find them on Facebook @washburnswindyhill
Hours: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $5 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under
The 5-acre corn maze at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard is open through the end of October, according to owner Timothy Anderson. A nighttime maze will also be hosted from Friday, Oct. 29, through Sunday, Oct. 31, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. each night.

Macs and Honeycrisps

Where to load up on apples

By Amy Diaz

The McIntoshes are ready.

Over Labor Day weekend, Apple Hill Farm in Concord kicked off its season of pick-your-own with its trees heavy with McIntoshes. The rain, rough on ground crops, has been good for apples, helping them to get big and juicy, said Diane Souther, owner at Apple Hill.

“The apples are plentiful,” Souther said on Sept. 7, when she expected Cortlands to be ready for picking in a few days and then Macouns soon after that, followed by Empires, with other varieties expected more toward the third and fourth weeks of September. Souther’s farm has more than 60 varieties of apples, some in PYO and some that the farm picks, some of them for eating and baking and some for hard cider.

Leigh Hardy, pick-your-own manager at Brookdale Fruit Farm, agreed that this year’s crop is large — big apples and lots of them. Brookdale has 32 varieties for pick your own as well as other varieties available in the farm stand. On Sept. 7 she said Jonamacs, Galas, McIntoshes and Honeycrisps were ready, with Cortlands and Empires coming soon.

“They’re coming in a bit earlier,” Hardy said, estimating that crops were available about 10 days or so earlier.

While some varieties like the McIntoshes and Galas will go all season long some apples have shorter seasons of three or so weeks when they are available, so Souther recommends that pickers be flexible if their favorite variety isn’t available at the moment and try something new. She recommends, at pick your own or at farm stands and farmers markets, asking farmers about varieties you may not have seen in decades past, such as Ambrosia, a yellowish apple with a red tinge that is sweeter and can last a while in the refrigerator.

Hardy said some people are becoming “apple connoisseurs” and interested in new varieties as well as some of the older New England varieties, such as the Baldwin apple, which is harder and stores well but has a great flavor when you cook with it, she said. Empire (a cross between a Red Delicious and a McIntosh) has a good flavor as does Spencer (a cross between a Golden Delicious and a McIntosh).

“Those are really good,” Hardy said.

Others to look for later in September are the Snow Sweet (a mild apple that doesn’t turn brown when you cut it), a Ruby Mac (a McIntosh variety that is sold red and a little bit tarter) and some new Honeycrisp varieties that are available later, like Pink Luster, Firecracker and Crimson Crisp, Hardy said.

At Brookdale they offer both a paper map and a version you can get on your smartphone via a QR code that will help direct you toward trees that are ready for picking and help you find the varieties you’re interested in.

For apples you don’t eat right away, Souther and Hardy recommend putting them in a refrigerator at as close to 33 degrees as possible for future eating. Sweeter apples especially need refrigeration, Hardy said, and if you store apples in a cool basement or garage, don’t leave them directly on cement, where moisture will get into the apple and speed rot; elevate them a little. Souther also suggested that apples you don’t eat now can go toward a future pie: Make a pie filling and freeze to use later in the winter when you want a fresh taste of fall.

Apple Grower of the Year

Brookdale Fruit Farm, which has been operated for 174 years by seven generations of the same family, received special recognition this year: Chip Hardy and sons Trevor Hardy and Tyler Hardy were named 2021 Apple Growers of the Year by American Fruit Grower and Western Fruit Grower magazines, according to a story on GrowingProduce.com. (Tyler Hardy, who died in 2019, was called “one of New Hampshire’s up-and-coming agricultural stars” in the story.) The farm is only the second farm in New Hampshire to receive the award, the website said.

Where to get your apples

Here are a few of the local apple orchards offering pick-your-own. On the day you plan to head out, call ahead to check that the varieties you’re interested in are available. Most of these farms also sell apples at their farm stands (along with other goodies) if you’d rather pick up than pick your own, and many of the websites (which, along with the farms’ and orchards’ social media, is where most of the pricing and hours listed here come from) list varieties available at the orchard (including, in some cases, what’s currently available for picking). Is your favorite pick-your-own farm not on this list? Let us know about it at [email protected].

Apple Annie
66 Rowell Road East in Brentwood; 778-3127, appleannienh.org
Hours open for PYO: Thursday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Email for reserving group times Monday through Wednesday)
Cost: Bags priced at $1.75 per pound

Applecrest Farm Orchards
133 Exeter Road (Route 88) in Hampton Falls; 926-3721, applecrest.com
Hours open for PYO: daily, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $15 for half a peck, $30 for a peck, $40 for half a bushel
Also: In September, PYO raspberries and peaches; into October, pumpkins and gourds. On weekends look for harvest festivals, which run Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can feature live music, tractor rides, eats for sale and more.

Apple Hill Farm
580 Mountain Road (Route 132) in Concord; 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com
Hours open for PYO: daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Cost: Peck is $15, half bushel is $25.
Also: As of Sept. 3 Apple Hill still had PYO seedless grapes.

Appleview Orchard
1266 Upper City Road in Pittsfield; 435-3553, applevieworchard.com
Hours open for PYO: daily, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (earlier as the sun sets earlier)
Cost: Call for pricing.
Also: Free hayrides on weekends, weather permitting.

Brookdale Fruit Farm
41 Broad St. in Hollis; 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com
Hours open for PYO: Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (call for information on group outings on Mondays and Tuesdays)
Cost: $35 for half a bushel or $1.75 per pound.
Also: PYO pumpkins later in the season, according to the farm’s website. On weekends, check out the corn maze and hayrides.

Carter Hill Orchard
73 Carter Hill Road in Concord; 225-2625, carterhillapples.com
Hours open for PYO: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Currier Orchards
9 Peaslee Road in Merrimack; 881-8864, find them on Facebook @currierorchards
Hours open for PYO: Daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: $15 for a 10-pound bag; $30 for a 20-pound bag.
Also: The store is open until 6 p.m.

DeMeritt Hill Farm
20 Orchard Way, Lee; 868-2111, demeritthillfarm.com
Hours open for PYO: Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m; Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Purchase one peck bag to pick: $18 for a peck bag.
Also: PYO pumpkins. Visit farm animals and on weekends take a hayride ($2 per person), weather permitting. The farm also has several upcoming events including a Harvest Weekend (Sept. 25 and Sept. 26) and a Pumpkinfest (Oct. 2 and Oct. 3) and Haunted Overlook, a haunted attraction that opens Oct. 8.

Elwood Orchards
54 Elwood Road in Londonderry; 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com
Hours open for PYO: Open daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Call for pricing.
Also: Elwood will offer pick your own pumpkins and runs a corn maze daily (with nighttime corn mazes on Fridays and Saturdays in October).

Gould Hill Farm
656 Gould Hill Road in Contoocook, 746- 3811, gouldhillfarm.com
Hours open for PYO: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (plus Monday, Oct. 11)
Cost: Quarter peck (which is about two or three pounds depending on the apple) is $7, half peck is $12, peck is $18, half bushel is $28.
Also: Gould Hill operates Contoocook Cider Co., which has a tasting room open weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for flights, tastings and light food (such as cheese plates) and live music from 1 to 4 p.m., according to the website. Cider doughnuts on weekends.

Hackleboro Orchards
61 Orchard Road in Canterbury; 783-4248, on Facebook
Hours open for PYO: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: By the page $6 half peck, $10 peck and $20 a half bushel
Also: Every weekend they offer burgers, hot dogs, cider doughnuts and ice cream.

Hazelton Orchards
280 Derry Road in Chester; 493-4804, find them on Facebook @hazeltonorchardschesternh
Hours open for PYO: Daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Call for pricing.

Lavoie’s Farm
172 Nartoff Road in Hollis; 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.com
Hours open for PYO: Daily, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cost: $1.99 per pound.
Also: PYO pumpkins. Look for hay rides on weekends and a corn maze open whenever the farm is open.

Lull Farm
65 Broad St. in Hollis; 465-7079, livefreeandfarm.com
Hours open for PYO: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: Peck for $15, and half bushel for $30.
Also: Food on weekends and The Daily Haul fish market Saturdays (preorder at thedailyhaul.com).

Mack’s Apples
230 Mammoth Road in Londonderry; 432- 3456, macksapples.com
Hours open for PYO: Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cost: Purchase bags for picking as you enter the orchard.
Also: PYO peaches and pumpkins.

McLeod Bros. Orchards
735 N. River Road in Milford; 673-3544, mcleodorchards.com
Hours open for PYO: Monday through Friday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (also 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Columbus Day)
Cost: Buy bags or baskets before picking — $16 for peck bag, $27 for a half bushel bag; $24 for a peck basket, $35 for a half bushel basket.
Also: For groups larger than 7 people, make a reservation online.

Meadow Ledge Farm
612 Route 129 in Loudon; 798-5860, meadowledgefarm.com
Hours open for PYO: Daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Also: Look for the farm’s Harvest Festival on Columbus Day weekend, with games for the kids, music and entertainment. After Thanksgiving they sell Christmas trees and wreaths among other items.

Sullivan Farm
70 Coburn Ave. in Nashua; 595-4560, find them on Facebook
Hours open for PYO: Daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard
66 Mason Road in Greenville; 878-2101
Hours open for PYO: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Cost: $12 for a peck, $24 for a half bushel. Purchase apple bags inside the farm stand or reusable baskets.
Also: PYO pumpkins. The orchard also has a corn maze and free hayrides on weekends.

Featured photo: Corn maze at Beech Hill Farm and Ice Cream Barn in Hopkinton. Courtesy photo.

This Week 21/09/16

Big Events September 16, 2021 and beyond

Thursday, Sept. 16

Barring Covid-cancellations, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats will have their final regular season run of home games at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (1 Line Drive in downtown Manchester; nhfishercats.com) against the Harrisburg Senators. As of Sept. 13, the Sept. 14 game was canceled but the Fisher Cats are scheduled to play nightly at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, through Saturday, Sept. 18, and then a 1:35 p.m. game on Sunday, Sept. 19. Tonight’s game features the first of two winter hat giveaways (also at Sunday’s game). Friday’s and Saturday’s games will feature post-game fireworks.

Friday, Sept. 17

See TLC on their Crazy Sexy Cool Tour 2021 with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane in Gilford; 293-4700, banknhpavilion.com). Tickets start at $18.75 on the lawn.

Saturday, Sept. 18

After sitting out 2020, GraniteCon, the Granite State Comicon 2021, returns today and tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 19) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown (at 700 Elm St.). Admission costs $25 on Saturday, $20 on Sunday or $40 for a weekend pass. Meet comic book creators and entertainment guests, take part in the costume contest, check out the vendors and more. See last week’s issue of the Hippo (find the e-edition on hippopress.com) for our story about the event on page 24 and go to granitecon.com to see an event program.

Saturday, Sept. 18

Today is the second to last Concord Arts Market of the season. It will run 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rollins Park, 33 Bow St. in Concord. See concordartsmarket.net for a list of vendors.

Sunday, Sept. 19

It’s a big weekend for food festivals: Glendi in Manchester, the Concord Multicultural Festival, the Egyptian Food Festival in Nashua. Find details about all of those events on page 28. Here’s another to add to the schedule: Oysterfest, held today from noon to 5 p.m. at Stone Church (5 Granite St. in Newmarket; stonechurchrocks.com). The event will feature craft beer offerings, as well as oysters from three local oyster farms and live music.

Tuesday, Sept. 21

Check out a couple of cult films this week at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). Hedwig and the Angry Inch (R, 2001) screens tonight at 7 p.m. John Water’s Serial Mom(R, 1994) screens tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets to either show cost $12 each, with a portion of the proceeds going to Motley Mutts Rescue, according to the website.

Save the Date! Saturday, Oct. 23

Tickets go on sale this weekend for the New Hampshire Poutinefest Spooktacular, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 23, at the Anheuser-Busch Tour Center & Biergarten (221 DW Highway in Merrimack). Enjoy a variety of competing poutine dishes as well as craft beer, games, activities for kids and more. Tickets go on sale Saturday, Sept. 18, and cost $39.99 for general admission (gates at the event open at 12:45 p.m.), $49.99 for VIP admission (which includes a 11:30 a.m. entry time), $14.99 for kids age 6 to 12 with sampling and free for kids who aren’t sampling or are under 6. See nhpoutinefestspooktacular.eventbrite.com.

Featured photo: The Massachusetts Ghostbusters are heading to Granite State Comicon. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 21/09/16

All for the orangutans

A 10-year-old Manchester resident has been named a 2021 International Young Eco-Hero, one of 25 from around the world honored by international nonprofit Action for Nature for the steps they’re taking to solve environmental issues. According to a press release, Jack Dalton received a Notable Mention in the 8- to 14-year-old category for his project, Kid Conservationist, which aims to get orangutans off the endangered species list. Jack’s efforts include raising awareness about palm oil and the destruction of orangutan habitats, as well as raising funds for orangutan rehabilitation and rainforest restoration.

Score: +1

Comment: For his project, Jack contacts corporations to advocate for reduced use of palm oil, and he educates the public through his YouTube channel and through presentations to schools, zoos and museums across the globe, the release said.

First batch of West Nile-infected mosquitoes

A batch of mosquitoes collected Aug. 30 in Manchester tested positive for West Nile virus, the first in the state this year, according to a press release sent last week from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. This is not unusual, the release said, as some activity is expected each season. The department will continue testing mosquitoes until after the first frost or freeze of the season.

Score: -2 (-1 for West Nile and -1 for making us think about the first freeze)

Comment: At least there’s one good thing about the colder weather that’s on its way.

Drunk drivers on NH roads

From Aug. 18 through Sept. 6, local and state police arrested 65 people and charged them with driving while intoxicated. According to a press release, the enhanced efforts were part of the national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over initiative, which targeted impaired drivers through education and enforcement. Police made nearly 8,000 motor vehicle stops, which resulted in the 65 DWI arrests, plus more than 3,000 citations and more than 4,750 warnings, the release said.

Score: -1

Comment: “That’s sixty-five people that could have seriously injured or killed themselves or someone else all because of the bad decision to get behind the wheel while impaired,” New Hampshire Department of Safety Commissioner Robert Quinn said in the release. “The right decision is to find alternative transportation and never drive impaired.”

Retiring farmers concerned for the future

A new study from Land For Good, a New Hampshire-based organization that addresses farm access, tenure and transfer, found that older farmers in New Hampshire are concerned about retirement and need help navigating the process of farm business succession. According to a press release, farmers 65 and older operate 30 percent of the state’s farms, managing 158,000 acres and owning a collective $628 million in land and agricultural infrastructure. Farmers who responded to the survey said they worry about the future of their farms due to factors like complicated family dynamics and issues around financial security and farm viability, as well as a lack of young operators working alongside the seniors.

Score: -1

Comment: Land For Good is hosting a two-day Farm Succession Training for Legal & Financial Professionals on Sept. 21 and Sept. 23 via Zoom. The cost is $225, but according to the release cost should not be a barrier to attending, and there are discounts and scholarships available. Visit landforgood.org/professional-training.

QOL score: 87

Net change: -3

QOL this week: 84

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

NFL storylines for 2021

We got a glimpse of what the 2021 football season will be like on TV all through Thursday’s season opener when Cris Collinsworth slobbered over Tom Brady from the opening kickoff to after Ryan Succop’s game-winning FG. Not that he doesn’t deserve high praise for playing like he’s still 27, but enough already. Because if the usually solid Collinsworth continues like this unabated through the entire season the Bucs kicker ain’t gonna be the only answering to the name suck-up.

It continued ad nauseam on CBS Sunday from the pregame show to game’s end when all involved did everything but nominate Mac Jones for the Nobel prize. Again, a very encouraging Game 1 for Big Mac, but let’s pump the brakes a bit, please. That let us know that right behind Brady/Tampa Bay in the news caravan will be his former team/coach and their QB heir apparent. After that are a host of interesting stories that trail the first two by about the distance the runner-up finished behind Secretariat as he finished off his Triple Crown win at the Belmont in 1973.

Here are a few random observations on some of them as we head to Week 2.

By the way, sorry, Cam, forget “Mac and Cheese.” I nominate Big Mac as a better nickname. More descriptive and the endorsement possibilities are endless.

I think the biggest Patriots story is not the kid, it’s can Coach B pull all the new pieces together quickly enough to reclaim the AFC East?

Brady’s bunch of stories: First, got to say that Crypto FTX commercial with Tom and Yoko was pretty good. From the local barkeep — “I wouldn’t take you back.” Brady — “yes you would.” Funny.

TB is now in Babe Ruth territory. Meaning when the Babe passed Roger Connor’s home run record in 1922 every time he hit one after that broke his own record. With No. 2 man Drew Brees now retired, it’ll be the same for Brady every time he throws a TD pass. With active leader Aaron Rodgers 173 behind Brady’s 585 he’ll break his own record every time he throws one for the rest of his career.
Brady will soon go by Brees’ 80,358 yards to become the all-time leader in career passing yards. And it’s possible that (gulp) the record could fall in Game 4 at Gillette. Fitting I suppose. But just don’t make it happen on a TD pass to win the game!

To the ceaseless “what’s Mac’s ceiling?” chatter from the yakers. First tell us what you had for Brady’s ceiling in 2000. If you got his right I might listen. But no one got it right. Ditto for Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Russell Wilson.

Just an idle thought watching Dak Prescott having a 400-yard passing day as he came back from an injury just as gruesome as the one suffered by Gordon Hayward a couple of years ago in the Celtics 2016 opener. It’s like he didn’t even remember it happened while it took Hayward a full playing season to mentally recover. Does that say something about football players vs. hoopsters or Zach’s mental toughness vs. Hayward’s lack of it?

Tampa Bay is just the 6th SB winner to bring its entire team back for the next year. However, given that the 1992 Redskins were the last to do it, their feat is much harder to pull off having been the lone one done in the salary cap era.

It’s more obvious by the game thatGronk needed that year off to rehab/refresh his body. He looked old and slow in 2018, but he was the nearly unstoppable real Gronk again on Thursday night. It makes me sadder to see him in a different uniform than Brady.

An amazing unreported story is the QB turnover around the NFL where an astonishing 15 of the 32 teams will have a new Game 1 starter from 2020.

Sorry, I’ll never get used to them being called the Las Vegas Raiders.

Talk all you want about the five QB’s who got drafted but the Chargers QB Justin Herbert is likely to be the biggest breakout story among all the young QB’s.

The saddest news of the week was the death of David Patten in a South Carolina motorcycle accident. He was a big contributor in the first three SB wins and huge in the run to the first title with TD catches vs. Pitt in the AFC title games and vs. the Rams in the SB. Gone too soon at 47. RIP.

Predicted division winners: NFC: Washington, Minnesota, SF and TB. Wild card qualifiers:L.A., GB, Seattle. AFC:Buffalo, Tennessee, Cleveland, KC. Wild card qualifiers: NE, Pitt and Baltimore.

MVP: Josh Allen. I’ll pat myself on the back for being the earliest guy I know of to say this guy has “it” when everyone else was saying he doesn’t after an uneven first year. Now among the league’s best.

Biggest wish for the season: Tampa Bay vs. New England in the Super Bowl. That would be the most anticipated SB since the first one.

Bet of the year: With gambling now OK’d by the NFL, I’ll bet anyone out there that unless he gets injured and misses time Jones will surpass what Brady did statistically in 2001 when he threw for 2,843 yards and 18 TD’s in 2001 and I think the 86.3 QB rating is possible too.

Back to Big Mac’s ceiling for a second. Here’s my take: See what I said about Josh Allen. Different game. Same result.

Turning the tables

New job app addresses restaurant hiring challenges

Kassandra Pike is the founder of Fliptable, a Vermont-based mobile app launched in New Hampshire last month that matches hiring restaurants with qualified job candidates.

How did you come up with the idea for Fliptable?

The concept came to fruition probably about two and a half years ago, just before Covid hit. I had a lot of restaurant experience growing up —that’s how I paid for my college tuition and books — and I had friends and family who owned inns and restaurants. … It was a natural segue … when I started traveling around the country as a business consultant, helping startup companies enter the market, I would always hear from restaurants that they had a problem finding qualified [workers] in a way that was also conducive to their very busy schedules.

How does it work?

The app has two interfaces: one for job seekers and one for restaurants. … If you’re a restaurant, you download the Fliptable app, available on the Apple store and Google Play Store, and let the app know that you’re hiring. … You create your profile … with the name of your restaurant and its geographic location. You [indicate] what roles you’re looking for by selecting tags, like ‘bartender,’ ‘dishwasher,’ ‘front-of-house manager,’ ‘back-of-house manager.’ Then, job seekers who match those tags get matched with you, and you get to determine if you like that candidate, or if you want to pass on them. The restaurant also has the ability to do an ‘instant interview,’ which means if they find a candidate who they really like, that candidate gets an instant notification on their phone, letting them know that a restaurant is interested in interviewing them. From there, the restaurant and job seeker can coordinate a scheduled time to conduct an interview or for that candidate to come in and start working right away.

How does it appeal to restaurants?

Restaurant hiring managers are often so busy that getting them to stop and read resumes or interview a candidate is really challenging, even when they really need the help. I’ve witnessed and experienced this myself time and time again. … When you post a job on Craigslist or Indeed or Ziprecruiter … you pay for clicks and views and people to apply. … You could get 100 resumes and not a single one of them is a good fit, so you just spent all this time and money and you still don’t have a qualified candidate. Restaurants that download the Fliptable app spend less than a tenth of the cost and a tenth of the time [on hiring] because they … have complete control over the hiring process. … They can communicate and [schedule] interviews with job seekers from within the app … so they know what kind of qualified candidates are coming through the door.

How does it appeal to job seekers?

Anyone who has ever tried to get a job at a restaurant knows that getting a hold of the manager or assistant manager is pretty challenging, because oftentimes that person is wearing so many hats, and they’re not at their desk. … If they … walk into the restaurant and … speak to the manager, the manager tells them, ‘Here are the roles that are open; send us your resume.’ The job seeker creates their resume and goes back to the restaurant … and nine times out of 10 the manager isn’t there, so [the job seeker] is just kind of leaving their resume on the bar and hoping that someone gets it and reads it. There’s no meaningful connection [regarding] whether they could get a job. … Fliptable [helps them] create that connection.

Was there a need for an app like Fliptable even before the pandemic?

Attrition and hiring in the restaurant industry has always been a challenge; it just so happened that we also had this pandemic hit during the early development of the app, and now restaurants and job seekers, specifically in the food and beverage industry, need a product like this more than ever.

How does it address the needs of the restaurant industry in New Hampshire specifically?

The Granite State [values] local … and [the app] is very much local. … If [a restaurant] has a question, they get a response right away from their designated account specialist … who is a local. … They like that there’s a restaurant hiring tool with local reps who care … and who know their name, know where they’re located and likely have met them. That’s something that Indeed and Ziprecruiter won’t be able to touch.

What would you like to accomplish with Fliptable in the long term?

I would like it to be the No. 1 [hiring] solution that restaurants across the state of New Hampshire are using. We’re getting closer and closer to that every day. … In just one month’s time, we have more than 55 restaurants [using it] throughout the state of New Hampshire, and about 160 restaurants throughout the country. … We’re doing the best we can to be creative, to really rebuild this restaurant community from where it is now. … I’m very optimistic about restaurants making it through this [pandemic era]. I think the ones that do make it are going to be the ones that are using creative hiring solutions, and Fliptable is that creative hiring solution.

Featured photo: Kassandra Pike. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 21/09/16

Covid-19 update	As of Sept. 3	As of Sept. 13
Total cases statewide	108,713	112,326
Total current infections statewide	3,120	3,437
Total deaths statewide	1,426	1,443
New cases	1,239 (Aug. 31 to Sept. 3)	3,613 (Sept. 4 to Sept. 13)
Current infections: Hillsborough County	847	879
Current infections: Merrimack County	304	415
Current infections: Rockingham County	700	762

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

As of Sept. 13, there were 3,437 active infections of Covid-19 in New Hampshire and 154 current hospitalizations. All 10 counties still showed substantial transmission levels.

In an effort to combat the surging delta variant, President Joe Biden on Sept. 9 announced a mandate that employers with more than 100 workers require them to be vaccinated or get tested for the virus weekly. Gov. Chris Sununu was critical of the mandate, calling it “overreaching” in a statement issued Sept. 13. “I am working directly with my fellow governors to see how best we can push back against this federal overreach,” Sununu said. “I am as pro-vaccine as it gets, but I do not support this mandate from Washington as it is not the answer.”

The recent pandemic surge has already affected high school football in New Hampshire, forcing the postponements of at least three games in the state just two weeks into the season, according to WMUR. Manchester Central High School has suspended all football activities for 10 days after several players tested positive for the virus, while Newfound Regional High School in Bristol and Kearsarge High School in North Sutton also had to cancel. Cases have all the while continued to climb in young people — according to a Sept. 13 report from WMUR, nearly a quarter of all 337 new cases reported on Sept. 10 were in children younger than 18 years of age.

Economic development

The City of Manchester announced last week that it is going to hire a Director of Economic Development, a new position that the community and business leaders have been asking for, Mayor Joyce Craig said in a press release. “The Economic Development Director will oversee Manchester’s overall economic development by not only supporting our existing business community, but by working to bring more employers into the city, and bolstering our community’s economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said in the release. The director will work with the city, the business community and local stakeholders to create and implement an economic development strategy for Manchester. The new position, along with a Business Liaison, was funded through federal American Rescue Plan funds, and the salary ranges from $72,061.70 to $102,742.87, depending on experience, plus benefits.

Expenses relief

A Covid-19 Expenses Relief Program was launched last week by the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery to assist New Hampshire for-profit Main Street businesses with Covid-related expenses in 2020 and 2021, according to a press release. “Thousands of New Hampshire small businesses have been helped through our state programs to address the economic impacts of Covid-19,” Commissioner Taylor Caswell, executive director of GOFERR, said in the release. “We realize, however, that as many small businesses have continued to adapt their operations throughout the pandemic many remain in need of financial assistance.” Reimbursement applications will be accepted until Oct. 1 on the GOFERR website. Eligible expenses include costs incurred while closed due to Covid, like prorated rent, mortgage payments and utilities; costs incurred as a result of reopening, such as PPE and installation of physical safety measures, and increased costs of doing business as a result of Covid, like HVAC improvements, creation or addition of indoor or outdoor space for social distancing and increased costs due to supply chain disruptions or increased demand, the release said.

Eviction services

The New Hampshire Circuit Court has expanded its collaboration with the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program following the end of the CDC eviction moratorium.

According to a press release, the federally funded rental assistance program can pay for up to 15 months of back and future rent, utilities and other housing-related expenses for eligible tenants. At the courthouse, landlords and tenants will be able to start applications for rental assistance, provide documents necessary to complete existing applications, get updates on application status, and ask questions about the program. Those who bring all the required documentation to court may be able to get approved for assistance on the spot. To apply online, landlords and tenants in Rockingham and Hillsborough counties can go to snhs.org, while those in other counties can go to capnh.org or call 2-1-1.

VLACS in demand

New Hampshire’s Virtual Learning Academy Charter School is struggling to keep up with the demand for its online learning services this fall, according to a report from NHPR. The program grew last year in response to the number of students who wanted to stay fully remote but had limited options through their local public school, the report said. But despite public schools fully reopening this fall, enrollment at VLACS has continued to rise. VLACS CEO Steve Kossakoski told NHPR that enrollment has increased nearly 50 percent from this time last year, with more than 7,300 students in grades K-12. That demand, plus glitches with software upgrades, has caused problems for families who are still waiting to fully enroll or start classes, and they’re struggling to access classes and customer service, NHPR reported. Kossakoski told NHPR that the school has increased personnel, but it may take a few more weeks to resolve the issues. VLACS is free to students and gets its funding from the state, which pays about $6,000 per student or about $500 per half-credit class, according to the report.

Be prepared

With September being National Preparedness Month, the New Hampshire Department of Safety Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has been promoting one area of preparedness each week. This week its emphasis is on winter storms, while Sept. 19 through Sept. 25 will be on hurricanes and tornadoes, and Sept. 16 through Sept. 30 will focus on power outages. To prepare for all such instances, the department urges residents to stay informed by signing up for NH Alerts or downloading the NH Alerts mobile app to receive free emergency notifications, including weather alerts from the National Weather Service; having a family emergency plan so everyone knows where to go and what to do; making an emergency kit with supplies for the entire family; and getting involved in preparedness efforts in your community. Visit ReadyNH.gov.

The New Hampshire Highland Games returns to Loon Mountain in Lincoln this weekend with heavy athletics competitions, entertainment, food and activities celebrating Scottish culture. The three-day event, which normally attracts around 35,000 attendees, limited its capacity this year as a Covid safety precaution, and tickets are now completely sold out, according to the event’s Facebook page.

Who couldn’t use a SNHUG? The Southern New Hampshire Ukulele Group is holding its 6th annual SNHUGFEST on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. on the River Stage at Henry Law Park in Dover. According to a press release, the free festival features ukulele performances, food vendors, raffle prizes and more.

Take a Water Walk at Greeley Park in Nashua on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. According to a press release, the walk will benefit the Thank You Project, which builds wells in Nigeria and offers scholarships to students. Walkers who pledge $25 or more will get a Water Walk T-shirt. Visit thankyouproject.org.

ThinkGym, a new after-school enrichment program in Windham, is opening soon and will be offering science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) enrichment for children in kindergarten to grade 8. According to a press release, there will be open houses Wednesday, Sept. 22, from 7 to 8 p.m., and Friday, Sept. 24, from 5 to 6 p.m. Visit mythinkgym.com.

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