Tag: 211014

Retro Games

Arcades, bowling alleys and game shops to level up your game night

High scores

Classic video gaming at New Hampshire’s arcades

by Matt Ingersoll

Portsmouth native Sean Greenlaw grew up playing retro video games, thanks in part to his father’s managing the former Dream Machine arcade at the Fox Run Mall. So when he learned that Manchester’s Electric Avenue Arcade was up for sale, he saw a unique opportunity.

“I was definitely here pretty regularly. This was a place that I loved to come to and remembered having an amazing community to participate with,” Greenlaw said. “I’ve wanted to start my own business, and this pandemic really taught me that there were opportunities out there for me and that I needed to take chances. … So I threw my hat into the ring to purchase the arcade.”

Last month Electric Avenue fully reopened under Greenlaw’s ownership after an extended absence. All of the arcade’s more than two dozen games are available to play once again, from timeless classics like Pac-Man and Galaga to Donkey Kong, Space Invaders and many others, plus multiple pinball machines and a few Skee-Ball lanes. Greenlaw is looking into adding a few more games on the floor too, including one he acquired that used to be at the Dream Machine.

Arcades were products of their time, before the age of the internet and smartphones, when gamers would gather around hunched over a machine and attempt to surpass the high score. It’s all part of that nostalgic factor Greenlaw hopes to carry on at Electric Avenue.

“You can play a game on your computer or your phone, and that’s a very solitary experience,” he said, “but when you come into an arcade you hear the classic sounds that you grew up with. You’re able to meet up and challenge other folks face to face, which is something that has kind of been lost. … So I really appreciate the feeling of the arcade bringing everyone together. That’s the vibe I’m going for here, is that you feel like you’re walking into your friend’s basement.”

Block Party Social in Hooksett. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Indeed, when Greenlaw reopened the doors, many of the arcade’s faithful regulars returned.

“There were people who hadn’t seen each other since the pandemic began who were able to meet up again, and for me that was the best part,” he said. “It’s a testament to [former owners] Chuck and Sara [Vorias], and that’s something that I want to continue.”

In the spirit of starting fresh, Greenlaw is resetting the high scores of each of the machines and is also working toward adding a token dispenser. The bar side of the arcade, meanwhile, will continue to feature a rotating selection of local brews and light food options.

At Block Party Social in Hooksett, formerly the Space Entertainment Center, there are dozens of new arcade games to play in its recently renovated space. Each game operates using preloaded funds on a game card, which you can also use to accumulate points and win prizes.

While there are several iconic games that are represented, many have their own modernized twist. If you love to play Pac-Man or Galaga, for example, you can experience them on a giant LED video billboard. Space Invaders Frenzy combines the classic gameplay of the original Space Invaders with ray gun-like controllers in place of traditional joysticks and buttons. There are also multiple interactive arcade experiences, such as Jurassic Park and Halo.

“The games all kind of have that physical experience to them. It makes for more of an immersive environment,” Block Party Social marketing director Ron Weinberg said. “In a certain sense it is a throwback to maybe when you used to go to the arcade at the beach and play Skee-Ball, but this is almost like a little more high-tech version of it.”

Weinberg said the new games were all part of a complete rebranding of the business that took place last year. Other attractions, like indoor ropes courses, zip lines and an axe-throwing lounge with multiple games to choose from using superimposed screens, have all been added.

In Concord, Wow Fried Chicken & Subs owner Maher Abbas recently turned the adjacent vacant building space on the corner of Main and Pleasant streets into Wow Chicken Arcade, which officially opened to the public on Oct. 1.

Wow Chicken Arcade in Concord. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Abbas said kids of all ages enjoying the few games he has inside in his restaurant made him realize that there wasn’t any central arcade in town for them to go to. Unlike at Electric Avenue, which currently utilizes special tokens to play the games that are sold in bagged quantities at the counter, machines at Wow Chicken Arcade are quarter-operated.

Games include many of the classics, as well as a few pinball machines, racing simulators, ice hockey tables and basketball shooting machines. Abbas is making the downstairs space available to rent as a function room for family-friendly private parties and gatherings and has plans to offer entertainment outings like open mic or karaoke nights in the near future.

Visit an arcade

From Pac-Man to Space Invaders and dozens of other classics in between, here’s a list of some spots in southern New Hampshire where you can get your retro video gaming on.

Block Party Social

51 Zapora Dr., Hooksett, 621-5150, blockpartysocial.com

Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight

Formerly the Space Entertainment Center, Block Party Social features a newly renovated arcade space with more than 100 types of video games to enjoy, in addition to an in-house restaurant, a revamped 5,000-square-foot laser tag arena, ropes courses, and an axe-throwing lounge with a variety of game formats.

Dave & Buster’s

1500 S. Willow St., Manchester, 506-3100, daveandbusters.com

Hours: Sunday and Monday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The Granite State’s first Dave & Buster’s location, which arrived in the Mall of New Hampshire plaza in August 2020, features a large arcade with chances to win prizes, plus a sports bar and virtual reality gaming.

Electric Avenue Arcade

24 Bridge St., Manchester, 518-5770, electricavearcade.com

Hours: Thursday, 6 to 11 p.m.; Friday, 6 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m. (may be subject to change)

Reopened last month under new ownership, Electric Avenue is back with all of the same arcade games as before, including Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Paper Boy, Galaga, Q*Bert and more, plus a rotating offering of local brews and a light food menu.

Funspot

579 Endicott St. N., Laconia, 366-4377, funspotnh.com

Hours: Monday through Friday, noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Billing itself as the “largest arcade in the world,” Funspot features several hundred classic arcade games, as well as other activities like indoor mini-golf, bowling and cash Bingo.

FunWorld

200 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 888-8735, funworldnh.com

Hours: Friday, 3 to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 8 p.m. (hours are temporarily reduced due to the pandemic and may be subject to change)

This Nashua center features more than 250 video games for all ages, plus a three-story playground and three indoor amusement rides.

Hilltop Fun Center

165 Route 108, Somersworth, 742-8068, hilltopfuncenter.com

Hours: Monday through Thursday, noon to 8 p.m.; Friday, noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Arcade games are just one of the attractions at Hilltop Fun Center, which also features mini-golf, laser tag, batting cages and more.

Mel’s Funway Park

454 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield, 424-2292, melsfunwaypark.com

Hours: Friday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, noon to midnight, and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m.

One of several attractions to enjoy at Mel’s Funway Park, the indoor arcade is expected to remain open through the end of Spooky World’s annual run this Halloween season, according to co-owner Mike Accomando.

Tokens Taproom

284 Central Ave., Dover, 343-2879, tokenstaproom.com

Hours: Monday through Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight; Friday, 4 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., and Sunday, 4 to 11 p.m.

Known as a “barcade,” a combination arcade and bar, Tokens Taproom has classic arcade games and pinball machines that have been collected over the years by owner Josh Hynes. It’s open to visitors ages 21 and up, but minors are allowed in on Saturdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with accompanying adults.

Wow Chicken Arcade

2 N. Main St., Concord, find them on Facebook @wowchickennn

Hours: Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m., and Friday through Sunday, noon to midnight (may be subject to change)

New to the local arcade scene, Wow Chicken Arcade opened Oct. 1 on the corner of Main and Pleasant streets in downtown Concord. Games include pinball, ice hockey, simulated racers, Skee-Ball and more, while a function space is available to rent.

Right up your alley

Bowling still fun for all ages

By Meghan Siegler

The game of bowling hasn’t changed much in the past few decades. You lace up your well-worn rental shoes, grab a ball — a big one with finger holes if you’re playing 10-pin, a much smaller one with no holes if you’re playing candlepin — and send it down the lane, aiming for the pins at the end and hoping the ball stays out of the gutters. But not everything has stayed the same.

“What has come a long way is the technology,” said Kelly Cross, manager of Yankee Lanes in Manchester.

There are two basic kinds of bowling centers, Cross said: traditional league houses that are focused on league bowlers and tournaments, and the centers that are geared more toward family entertainment. She said Yankee Lanes falls somewhere in the middle, with league-based play during the weekdays and non-competitive players coming in on nights and weekends.

Photo courtesy of Kelly Cross of Yankee Lanes.

“After 9 it’s really geared more toward the casual bowlers,” Cross said. “We crank up the music and turn on the glow-in-the-dark lights.”

Cross has been working at Yankee for 20 years, so she’s watched the scene evolve in that time.

“The swing toward a more casual bowler has been the most dramatic change,” she said.

There are also two main kinds of bowling: candlepin and big-ball, the former of which is really only a thing in New England, Cross said.

“It’s a pretty niche market,” she said.

With candlepin, you’re using a smaller ball and aiming for skinnier “candlesticks,” so named because the pins are tapered and resemble candlesticks. The lane conditions are different too; there’s a protective coat of oil that goes on big-ball lanes that’s not used on candlepin lanes.

With its smaller balls, candlepin might seem like a better choice for kids and families, but most bowling centers that have 10-pin offer lighter-weight balls for kids. They also have ramps for really young kids, and bumpers help minimize the frustration of gutter balls.

“There are no benchwarmers in bowling,” Cross said. “Everyone can participate. … We have bowlers who are 2 or 3, all the way up to 90.”

Go bowling

Candlepin

Boutwell’s Bowling Center

152 N. State St., Concord, 224-0941, boutwellsbowl.com

Hours: Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

King Bowling Lanes

751 Mast Road, Manchester, 623-9215, kinglanes.com

Hours: Sunday 1 to 6 p.m., Monday 3 to 9 p.m., Tuesday noon to 9 p.m., closed Wednesday, Thursday 1 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 1 to 10 p.m.

Lakeside Lanes

2171 Candia Road, Manchester, 627-7722, lakesidelanes.com

Hours: Sunday noon to 9 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday noon to 10 p.m.

Leda Lanes

340 Amherst St., Nashua, 889-4884, ledalanes.com

Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily

Park Place Lanes

16 Rockingham Road, Windham, 898-4422, parkplacelanes.com

Hours: Closed Monday, open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 9 p.m., Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Ten-pin

Merrimack Ten Pin

698 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-0989, merrimacktenpin.com

Hours: Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Strikers East Bowling Center & Function Room

4 Essex Dr., Raymond, 895-9501, strikerseast.net

Hours: Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday 5 to 10 p.m., Tuesday 5 to 9 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday 2 to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Yankee Lanes

216 Maple St., Manchester, 625-9656, yankeelanesentertainment.com

Hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to midnight, Saturday noon to midnight, Sunday noon to 11 p.m.

Really Retro

King Bowling Lanes in Manchester has been around since 1939, according to its website. When it first opened, there were “pinboys” who would set the pins because there were no automatic pinsetters — those weren’t added until 1954. In 1989 King Bowling upgraded to automatic scoring, which is now the norm at most bowling centers.

Well-played

Local game shops host tabletop games, old and new

by Angie Sykeny

Tabletop games are alive and well, from the ones you played as a kid to new ones being released all the time. Many local game and comic book stores double as venues where people can gather for open-play gaming and organized gaming events.

The fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, or D&D, has been a household name in the game world since the 1980s, but some local game shop staff said it’s starting to break into the mainstream.

“D&D has really come out of the basement and into the spotlight in the last few years, with shows like The Big Bang Theory,and shows that stream D&D games, like Critical Role, where you see Hollywood voice actors playing the game,” said Jay Ribak, owner of Relentless Dragon, a game store in Nashua. “I think the demographic [of players] is growing.”

Megan Kilar, who works at Collectibles Unlimited, a game store in Concord, said the pandemic was also responsible for a “Dungeons & Dragons renaissance.”

“There are a lot of board games that you can really only play in person, but D&D is one that you can play together online, so for many people, playing D&D was a way to connect with their friends during Covid,” she said.

Relentless Dragon hosts organized D&D games three nights a week that are open to anyone with any level of interest in the game.

“People are welcome to drop in and sit in on a session to observe, or to join,” Ribak said. “You don’t really need anything except a willingness to try things out. … We’ll help you get an introduction to the game.”

Tabletop gaming at Game Knight in Manchester. Courtesy photo.

Another game that has stood the test of time and continues to attract new players is Magic: The Gathering, a fantasy trading card game that came out in the early 1990s.

“Magic is great, because the rules haven’t changed,” Kilar said. “If you knew how to play Magic 10 or 15 years ago, you still know how to play Magic, and if you don’t, it’s easy enough to pick up.”

You can find weekly Magic games at both Collectibles Unlimited and Relentless Dragon as well as other local game shops.

If you like games involving strategy and games that allow you to be creative, Warhammer, a medieval-fantasy war game played with custom miniatures, has the best of both worlds, Kiler said. Around since the 1980s, Warhammer has maintained a following and is, according to Kiler, the most popular game at Collectibles Unlimited.

“There’s a lot to it,” she said. “You paint your miniatures on your own however you want to, and then you have to think about how you’re going to use your army and what each of your units is going to do.”

Your tabletop game options don’t end with the classics; Matt Summers, owner of Game Knight, a BYOB game shop and gaming lounge in Manchester, said there’s “a pretty decent market” for tabletop games, and that it’s growing all the time.

“A lot of people think board games have gone by the wayside, but they’ve actually been evolving,” Summers said. “There’s brand new games — all kinds of crazy games — coming out almost every month.”

Modern games have expanded into many different themes and genres beyond fantasy, Summers said, such as cyberpunk, outer space, crowd games and games based on anime series like Cowboy Bebop and My Hero Academia.

Every Saturday, Game Knight opens a game that’s new to the store and teaches people how to play it.

“We don’t want to be a niche-type store,” Summers said. “The sky’s the limit in [the game] world — if you can think of it, there’s probably a game for it — and we want to do it all so that anyone can come and game the way they want.”

If your post-pandemic social life could use a boost, Riback said, playing games at your local game store is a great way to get out of the house and engage with other people in a relaxed atmosphere.

“It’s really important, especially now, to be able to step away from our screens for a bit and get some face time with our fellow humans,” he said. “[The store] provides a place where people can do that, and everyone is welcome.”

Play tabletop games

Here are some local game shops and gaming lounges where you can play tabletop games.

• Awesome Cards, Collectibles, & Games (123 Nashua Road, Unit 14, Londonderry, 404-6996, awesomeccg.com)

• Boards and Brews Board Game Cafe (941 Elm St., Manchester, 232-5184, boardsandbrewsnh.com)

• Collectibles Unlimited (25 South St., Concord, 228-3712, collectiblesunlimited.biz)

Weekly events:

Warhammer – Tuesday, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering – Friday, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

• Diversity Gaming (1328 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 606-1176, diversitygaming.store)

Weekly events:

Dragon Ball Super – Monday, 6 to 10 p.m.

Dungeons & Dragons – Tuesday, 6 to 10 p.m.

• Double Midnight Comics (245 Maple St., Manchester; 341 Loudon Road, Concord; 669-9636, dmcomics.com)

Weekly events at Manchester location:

Heroclix – Sunday, 1 p.m.

Dragonball Super – Sunday, 1 p.m.

Digimon – Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Dungeons & Dragons – Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering (modern) – Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Yu-Gi-Oh – Wednesday, 7 p.m., and Saturday, 11 a.m.

Magic: The Gathering (Commander) – Thursday, 7 p.m., and Saturday, 3 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering (draft) – Friday, 7 p.m.

Flesh & Blood TCG – Friday, 7 p.m.

Cardfight Vanguard – Saturday, 3 p.m.

Weekly events at Concord location:

Flesh & Blood TCG – Sunday, 1 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering (Commander) – Thursday, 7 p.m., and Saturday, noon

Magic: The Gathering (draft) – Friday, 7 p.m.

• Game Knight (North End Shops at Livingston Park, 545 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 232-4813, gameknightnh.wixsite.com)

Weekly events:

Dungeons & Dragons – Wednesdays, 6 to 10 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering (Commander) – Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering (Draft) – Friday, 7 p.m.

Ultimate Day of Gaming (the shop introduces a new game)

• The Relentless Dragon Game Store (483 Amherst St., Nashua, 204-5275, relentlessdragon.com)

Weekly events:

Dungeons & Dragons – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering – Friday, 5 to 11 p.m.

• Merrymac Games and Comics (550 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 420-8161, merrymacgc.com)

Weekly events:

Magic: The Gathering (Draft) – Wednesday, 6 to 10 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering (Commander) – Thursday, 6 to 9 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering (Modern) – Friday, 6:30 to 10 p.m.

• Midgard Comics and Games (55 Crystal Ave., No. 21, Derry, 260-6180, midgardcomicsandgames.com)

Weekly events:

Digimon – Thursday, 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Magic: The Gathering – Friday, 6:30 to 10 p.m.

• Tactical Tabletop Gaming (940 Suncook Valley, Epsom, 736-0411, tacticaltabletopgaming.com)

Free RPG Day

Free RPG Day, an annual worldwide promotional event for role-playing tabletop games, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 16. Participating game, comic book and hobby retailers partner with participating game publishers to provide free content for RPGs, including booklets with exclusive adventures, campaigns, guides, character profiles and previews, as well as RPG accessories and swag, like special-edition dice. This year’s featured RPGs will include Twilight Imperium, Talisman Adventures, Fabula Ultima, Warhammer, Victoriana, Achtung! Cthulhu, Pathfinder, Zombicide, Blue Rose, Vast Grimm, Humblewood, Epic Encounter, Iron Kingdoms and Dungeons & Dragons. More may be announced. For more information and updates about Free RPG Day, visit freerpgday.com or find them on social media @freerpgday.

Here are the local retailers officially registered as Free RPG Day participants. Other retailers may be hosting unofficial celebrations with special activities and promotions of their own.

• Awesome Cards, Collectibles, & Games (123 Nashua Road, Unit 14, Londonderry, 404-6996, awesomeccg.com)
• Game Knight (North End Shops at Livingston Park, 545 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 232-4813, gameknightnh.wixsite.com)
• Jetpack Comics (37 N. Main St., Rochester, 330-9636, jetpackcomics.com)
• Pop Culture Cards, Comics, Collectibles, and Gaming (66 Route 27, Raymond, 244-1850, popculturenh.com)
• The Relentless Dragon Game Store (483 Amherst St., Nashua, 204-5275, relentlessdragon.com)

Featured photo: Electric Avenue Arcade in Manchester. Courtesy photo.

This Week 21/10/14

Big Events October 14, 2021 and beyond

Friday, Oct. 15

It’s a big weekend for local theater with two plays on the schedule up in Concord. Catch the Community Players of Concord’s presentation of Barefoot in the Park, the play by Neil Simon, at the Concord City Auditorium (2 Prince St). The shows are tonight and tomorrow, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $18 for youth and seniors; see communityplayersofconcord.org. And beginning a two-weekend run at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) is American Son, a play by Christopher Demos-Brown. Tonight’s show is at 7:30 p.m., as are shows on Oct. 16, Oct. 22 and Oct. 23. Sunday shows (Oct. 17 and Oct. 24) are at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22, $19 for students and seniors.

Friday, Oct. 15

Today is also the kickoff of a multi-week run of Mamma Mia!, the ABBA musical, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588). Tonight’s show is at 7:30 p.m. The play runs through Nov. 14 with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and noon and 5 p.m. on Sundays (most weeks). There will also be Thursday shows on Oct. 28 and Nov. 11. Tickets cost $25 to $46. And if you can’t get enough ABBA, head to the Capitol Center for the Arts (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com, 225-1111) on Wednesday, Oct. 20, for ABBA the Concert, a tribute concert to the Swedish pop group, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $29.50 to $49.50 (plus fees).

Saturday, Oct. 16

The New Hampshire Philharmonic Orchestra will begin its new season with a show “From Darkness to Hope” presented tonight at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. at Seifert Performing Arts Center at Salem High School (44 Geremonty Dr. in Salem). The concerts will include performances of music by Beethoven, Samuel Barber and Tchaikovsky and will be conducted by Mark Latham. Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $8 for students and $5 for Salem K-12 students. A livestream pass for $15 is also available for Sunday’s show.

Saturday, Oct. 16

Giant pumpkins! Seaworthy pumpkins! Falling pumpkins! The Goffstown Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off and Regatta has all sorts of pumpkin entertainment planned for this weekend, starting today and continuing through tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 17, when the actual regatta of pumpkin watercraft will hit the Piscataquog River at 3 p.m. See the weigh-off of the giant gourds today at 10:30 a.m. at the Common in Goffstown. The day will also include vendors and demonstrations, a doggie costume contest (at 10 a.m.) and fireworks (at dusk). Find out more in Angie Sykeny’s story on page 12 in last week’s (Oct. 7) issue of the Hippo; find the e-edition at hippopress.com.

Save the Date! For wine in November

The Lakes Region Uncorked will be held at Church Landing at Mill Falls (281 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith) on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m. and feature tastings from more than a dozen area craft breweries and wineries as well as food, a silent auction, music and more. General admission costs $50; a premier ticket (which includes a celebrity chef cooking demonstration) costs $90. See lakesregionuncorked.com. The Chase Home’s 7th Annual Wine & Chocolate Tasting fundraiser will be held Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club (135 Congress St. in Portsmouth). The event will run from 6 to 9 p.m. and feature food, a live and silent auction and more. Tickets cost $75; see chasehome.org.

Featured photo: Giant Pumpkin Regatta. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 21/10/14

Yeah, you heard that right

That boom you heard Sunday might have been a meteor, scientists are saying. According to a report from WMUR on Oct. 11, the loud boom followed by a slight rumble that Granite Staters reported hearing and feeling around 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 10 was not an earthquake or military activity; the U.S. Geological Survey said there were no earthquakes in New England on Sunday, and the Federal Aviation Administration said there was no military plane activity over the state, either. People from more than 40 cities and towns in southern and central New Hampshire, and from northern Massachusetts and eastern Maine, reported hearing the noise, which scientists told WMUR was likely a sonic boom caused by a meteor that entered the atmosphere at supersonic speed and then quickly burned up.

Score: -1 (because, according to WMUR, the cloudy weather Sunday meant it’s likely nobody actually saw it and the mystery might not definitively be solved)

Comment: “The Earth is always passing through this sort of dust of sporadic meteoroids,” Ryan Volz of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said in the WMUR report. “And mostly, they’re very small, dust-sized particles, and they’re creating meteor events that no one notices. … But sometimes, you get these bigger meteoroids, and they create something that everybody notices.”

Too many bullies

New Hampshire ranks 8th in the nation for 2021’s States with the Biggest Bullying Problems, according to a recent report from personal-finance website WalletHub, which compared 47 states and the District of Columbia in areas like “bullying-incident rate” and “percentage of high school students bullied online.” For the latter, the Granite State came in at No. 1 — not a top slot to be proud of. The state ranked 9th for bullying prevalence and 8th for anti-bullying laws (meaning we don’t have nearly as many as most other states).

Score: -2

Comment: On the bright side, New Hampshire placed 40th for bullying impact and treatment, meaning we’re not doing so bad in terms of how bullying is negatively affecting kids and in the way we’re helping victims, through things like school counselor-to-student ratios.

Skateboarding, knitting and more for mental health

More than 1,000 participants on 123 teams participated in NAMIWalks NH, the Granite State’s largest mental health awareness and suicide prevention event, on Oct. 9. According to a press release, the virtual event had participants kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, skateboarding, knitting, drawing and more to raise awareness and inspire hope. More than $180,000 has been raised for NAMIWalks NH Your Way 2021, and fundraising remains open through Nov. 30 at NAMIWalksNH.org.

Score: +1

Comment: You can see what local participants did to raise awareness for mental health during this event on NAMI New Hampshire’s Facebook page.

Trick or treat?

With outdoor trick-or-treating being encouraged by Dr. Anthony Fauci, health experts are saying that this year’s Halloween activities should look more normal, according to a report from WMUR. Yet while cases in New Hampshire have started to come down from their mid-September high, the numbers were much lower last year (685 active cases compared to nearly 4,000 as of Oct. 11, according to the NH Department of Health and Human Services).

Score: 0 (+1 for an OK to trick-or-treating but -1 because of those persistent high numbers)

Comment:QOL hopes to see more trick-or-treaters this year but will still be following Covid safety precautions when handing out candy; that increase in active cases compared to last year is scary!

QOL score: 80

Net change: -2

QOL this week: 78

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

Sox in the playoffs

The baseball playoffs are underway, having gotten started nicely when the Sox croaked the Yanks 6-2 in the play-in game. More interesting, at least to me, is what we can learn about team-building from watching Tampa Bay, even if I don’t care for what their robotic stat geek approach is doing to the game. They have athletic talent and pitching depth used in a different relay-race way than the olden days, and they have figured out how to win cost-effectively. I’d say maybe there’s something there for the Sox brass to learn from, but that’s why they hired TB alum Chaim Bloom in the first place.

Now for some more thoughts.

I don’t know if TB stumbled on it just trying to save money, but they show that the most cost-effective way per out is to load up on six or seven hard-throwing relievers whom they usually turn the game over to after five innings. That’s because if those guys pitch four innings per game every game and are even making $3 million per (which they’re not) that’s 648 innings for a paltry $21 million. As opposed to the Yanks getting 181 innings from Gerrit Cole for $32 million per year. That’s $10,802 per out for TB vs. $60K for NY and since most of those D-Rays are under 3.00 in ERA they’re competitive to Cole’s 3.23. So tell me which way is better.
So the trick is to draft and develop guys to be one-inning power pitchers who are interchangeable and not married to a specific role, including closer. Since the Red Sox have not developed a starter to win 10 games or more since Clay Buchholz came up in 2007 they should try that instead of what they’ve been so unsuccessfully doing for 20 years.

One final note on Cole: When he refused to talk about the Astros moments after he and they won the 2017 World Series because he was now a free agent and didn’t work for them any longer, he went on my sports hate list instantaneously. So it was great to see him spit the bit (as the Boss used to say) in the big moments. Well-spent $324 million I’d say.

In case you’re wondering, the 106 games won by the 2021 Dodgers are the most ever by a team finishing in second place. Even more amazing is that even though the 107-win Giants seemingly clinched a playoff spot in July they didn’t clinch the NL West until the final day of the regular season.

Incidentally, a big payoff could be coming for those who bet on them to win the World Series before the year in Vegas, where they were a 100-1 shot.

Since no one was in the stands to do it last year during the playoffs, expect the booing of the Astros for their cheating scandal to continue until their final playoff out.

I count 11 ex-Red Sox in the playoffs, including Jackie Bradley, who hit a microscopic .163 for Milwaukee this year; TB’s Manuel Margot, who was traded for White Sox reliever Craig Kimbrel (5.09 in 24 appearances after being traded to Chi in late July) when Kimbrel came to Boston from San Diego; Chicago’s Michael Kopech (44 games in relief with a 3.50) and Yoan Moncada, who were the big chips in the Chris Sale trade; Marwin Gonzalez, who hooked on with Houston on the Jamie Collins plan after being DFA by the Sox in August to hit below the Mendozza line for both teams; Pablo Sandoval, still somehow in the majors with Atlanta, and Yaz’s grandson Mike, a key player for SF.

Then there’s the L.A. contingent managed by 2004 Game 4 hero Dave Roberts. Injury-riddled Mookie Betts didn’t have one of his better years while hitting .258 with 23 homers and 58 RBI. Meanwhile only 11 of David Price’s 39 appearances were starts when he pitched just 74 innings and had an ERA of 4.04, and 2018 postseason stalwart Joe Kelly was 2-0 and 2.85 in 44 games.

Between the injured Clayton Kershaw and suspended Trevor Bauer L.A. has $71 million in starting pitching sitting not available in the playoffs. That’s more than the D-Rays’ entire payroll.

The Giants did what they did with their leading homer guy Brandon Belt (29) and the only guy who could hit for TB in the early days, Evan Longoria, only playing 97 and 81 games respectively

Thanks to a .306 lifetime batting average and winning two batting titles while mostly playing the game’s most physically demanding position, many see ex-Twins catcher Joe Mauer as a likely Hall of Famer. If that’s the case, does the same go for Giants catcher Buster Posey? He’s a .302 lifetime hitter, with one batting title and more homers already than Mauer, while being the linchpin of three World Series winners to none by Joe. And No. 4 could be in progress as we speak.

The evening Massachusetts daily lotto numbers on the day before the Yankees-Red Sox playoff game on Tuesday were 1-9-7-8. That was the year of the last one-game playoff between the Sox and Yanks, otherwise known as the Bucky bleeping Dent game won by NY.

The omen didn’t work this time. Though I must say, good strategy by Alex Cora to pull the in-total-control Nathan Eovaldi after just 5.1 innings so they could lure Aaron Judge into barely being thrown out at the plate after a difficult double relay by bringing in Ryan Brasier so Giancarlo Stanton could hit another one of the wall to start the play in motion. Worked perfect. What a strategist.

Finally, Giancarlo, are you kidding me? Posing on a ball you think is going out instead of hustling to first in a winner-take-all playoff game? Really? Where do they find clueless meatballs like that?

Shooting for the stars

SNHU student recognized for civic leadership

Jonathan Weinberg, a Concord resident and student at Southern New Hampshire University, will be presented with the Civic Leader of the Year award at the 2021 Rising Stars Awards on Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester. The awards, an initiative of New Hampshire Public Radio and Stay Work Play, recognize New Hampshire young people who are working to make a positive impact in their communities. The ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. and will be held in person with a limited capacity and broadcast live online; visit 2021rsa.eventbrite.

What does the Civic Leader of the Year award recognize?

It recognizes any type of political involvement or civic engagement [that is] helping to better one’s community or trying to get more people civically engaged, whether that’s in an elected position, or working with advocacy committees or groups that are trying to promote positive changes in the community.

What kinds of civic engagement have you been involved in?

Last year I decided to run for the school board in the Concord area. … I was involved with the gun violence prevention movement, helping to organize various marches. I helped with some Black Lives Matter protests. … I also have experience working in environmental advocacy, immigration, child care and affordable wages.

Are there any causes you’d like to get more involved in?

I’d love to expand my horizons. Mental health advocacy is something that’s been a growing passion of mine. As we saw during the past year, there were not enough beds available [at mental health facilities] for people who were waiting in the emergency room. … I’d love to get more involved in that, working to bring further investment to an underfunded system. … I’d also like to be more involved in reproductive rights advocacy.

Are any of these issues personal for you?

Immigration has some personal [significance] for me. As a Jewish person I’ve experienced anti-semitism. I’ve seen the kind of iniquitous, abhorrent behavior that people can show toward someone just because they’re from somewhere else, or because they look different. It motivates me to make sure that other people don’t have to feel the way that I have felt when I’ve [experienced] anti-semitic slurs. That’s also why I’ve been involved in advocating with equity and helping to promote Black Lives Matter protests. … I also have a personal connection with mental health. I’ve struggled with anxiety and depression for years but haven’t been very vocal about it. I want to make sure that we’re destigmatizing and raising awareness of mental health [issues] so that people feel safe in their communities to express what they’re going through.

How do you take care of yourself?

I use a lot of coping mechanisms. I try to run. I play piano. I try to do things that help me [maintain] a sense of equilibrium. When you’re dealing with all of these really challenging issues and something doesn’t go the way you hoped, you have to remind yourself that at least you’re doing something about it; don’t give up.

What is the biggest change you’d like to see in New Hampshire?

I think we need more investment in social programs, whether it’s [addressing] the opioid epidemic, homelessness, the mental health crisis, child care or the minimum wage. If we tackle one of those issues, it can help with the other issues as well, because they’re very interconnected. We also need to create programming that is more accessible, that [doesn’t require] filling out so much paperwork or going out of your way in order to receive [assistance].

What do you want to do after graduating from college?

I’ve thought about attending law school. I’d love to work … representing individuals who cannot afford representation or don’t have representation that’s adequate … and also work on immigration reformation.

What advice would you give to other young people looking to get more involved in their communities?

Sometimes, people are afraid to get involved because they don’t know what they’re going to do [to help], or they don’t feel like they have the right experience to speak on the matter. But there’s something powerful about getting involved in something just because you have that gut feeling that you should. Don’t let a lack of experience or a fear that you don’t know enough stop you from getting involved. Once you take that leap, you can learn more about it, and sometimes being new to something [allows you to] build a better foundation, which can be the most powerful agent of change in action.

Featured photo: Jonathan Weinberg. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 21/10/14

Covid-19 update As of Oct 4 As of Oct 11
Total cases statewide 122,054 125,743
Total current infections statewide 3,502 3,941
Total deaths statewide 1,485 1,499
New cases 3,348 (Sept. 28 to Oct. 4) 3,689 (Oct. 5 to Oct. 11)
Current infections: Hillsborough County 920 1,015
Current infections: Merrimack County 380 474
Current infections: Rockingham County 650 718
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services

Covid-19 news

As of Oct. 11 there were 3,941 active infections of Covid-19 statewide and 142 current hospitalizations. Two additional deaths were announced on Oct. 11, bringing the total to 1,499.

On Oct. 8, following the postponement of an Executive Council meeting the previous week regarding federal grants for vaccine funding, New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella issued a memo to Gov. Chris Sununu saying that the state is able to accept the money without being locked into any future federal mandates. Anti-vaccine protests had forced the postponement of the Sept. 29 meeting, according to a report from WMUR. “I appreciate that the Attorney General has been very clear in his determination that these contracts do not bind the New Hampshire state government to any sweeping federal mandates, ensuring our state’s sovereignty in how we manage the Covid pandemic,” Sununu said in an Oct. 8 statement.

HealthCost

Last week the New Hampshire Department of Insurance launched the state’s new HealthCost website (nhhealthcost.nh.gov), which helps people compare prices across health care facilities with additional medical procedures and new information on hospital quality measures. According to a press release, the site also includes information on health insurance and an interactive tool to compare hospitals’ quality of care, cleanliness and customer satisfaction.

Spirit at MHT

Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has expanded its services. On Oct. 7 the airport celebrated the first flight of Spirit Airlines, which provided transportation between Manchester and several Florida locations. In the security area at Spirit’s gate, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, Spirit’s Vice President of Guest Experience & Brand Lania Rittenhouse, and Airport Director Ted Kitchens gave their remarks on the expansion. According to a press release, Spirit is the first new passenger airline that Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has welcomed in 17 years.

Juvenile justice

Last week Gov. Chris Sununu signed an order establishing the formation of the Juvenile Justice Reform Commission, an advisory group to update and replace the State Advisory Group for Juvenile Justice. According to a press release, the New Hampshire Juvenile Justice Reform Commission will “assist the state in aligning New Hampshire’s juvenile justice system with advances in scientific understanding of adolescent development and youth offenders.” The group’s primary role is to advise the state on its use of federal juvenile justice grants and supporting compliance with federal juvenile justice requirements. The original advisory group had been in place for more than 20 years, created by Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, and the formation of this new group is an effort to bring in fresh perspectives and ideas, the release said. “I would like to thank all new members for agreeing to serve the state in this incredibly important mission, and I have full confidence they will meet the challenges and opportunities facing the state as we create a juvenile justice system designed to meet the needs of the individuals, families, and communities in a safe, data-driven, and evidence-based manner,” Sununu said in a statement.

Organic certification

The state has terminated the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire’s certification program for organic processor/handle and livestock operations, according to a press release from NOFA-NH, which noted that the decision could impact as many as 45 state-certified organic farms, processors and handlers as well as farms that were in the process of transitioning to and becoming certified organic. An “adequate transition plan” was not put in place, the release said, and the farms affected will have to contract with a new certifier in the coming year.

Career schools

Smaller career schools in New Hampshire will no longer need to be regulated or licensed by the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Office of Career School Licensing, or pay licensing and licensing renewal fees. According to a press release, career schools are defined as post-secondary institutions that provide training in trades and vocational skills that expand students’ employment opportunities. The Senate Bill 148, signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu in August, applies to private career schools with an adjusted gross income of less than $100,000 per year, of which there are 41 existing in the state. Newly established career schools meeting those criteria will not need to apply for a license from the state. “This change will make it easier for smaller career schools to operate and promote the creation of new vocational schools in New Hampshire with minimal risk to participating students,” Stephen Appleby, Director of Educator Support and Higher Education with NH-DOE, said in the release. Career schools may still opt to remain licensed or apply for licensure if they want to participate in federal programs that require it. Any schools affected by the law that grow to exceed an AGI of $100,000 in the future will at that point be required to go back and receive regulation and licensing by the state again.

Choose Love

The New Hampshire Department of Corrections has joined with the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement to provide its programming to incarcerated residents. According to a press release, the Corrections Choose Love Program will include daily activities that will reinforce and support social and emotional learning skills, to improve the residents’ relationships and interactions with their families and communities. Funding for the program was awarded to NHDOC’s Family Connections Center from the state Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Collaborations to Strengthen and Preserve Families. Choose Love has been incorporated into schools, state and local departments and various organizations across New Hampshire, the release said.

Last week Gov. Chris Sununu visited Jeremiah and Jamie Crosby’s home in Springfield to highlight the state’s investment in broadband upgrades, after allocating short-term CARES Act funds to broadband expansion. According to a press release, $13 million went to 16 projects that benefitted over 4,500 households, and the state is expected to receive an additional $122 million in one-time federal funds to provide broadband access to every household in the state.

To commemorate the founding of Daughters of the American Revolution, on Oct. 11, 1890, 10 members of the local Buntin-Rumford-Webster chapter gathered at the Old Fort Cemetery in East Concord on Oct. 8 to clean and reset gravestones. According to a press release, two of the stones that were cleaned belonged to American Revolutionary War patriot Moses Eastman and his wife, Elizabeth.

UpReach Therapeutic Equestrian Center will host volunteer trainings at its facility in Goffstown on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to noon and Tuesday, Oct. 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. According to a press release, volunteers must be at least 14 and be physically able to lead a horse at the walk and provide support as needed to mounted participants. Supplemental trainings are required for volunteers who want to handle or lead a horse, on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 27, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Email kathryn@upreachtec.org or call 497-2343.

Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester officially opened its new Esports Arena with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 8. According to a press release, the arena is equipped with live broadcasting and streaming capabilities and 18 high-end gaming PCs, giving SNHU esports players a place to practice their gaming skills and compete against varsity opponents across the U.S. and Canada.

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