Brooke Danforth is a dog groomer and owner of The Dirty Dog in Amherst.
Explain your job.
Anything that goes into grooming dogs: bath, blow dry, brush them out, do a haircut or trimming if it’s required, clip their nails and clean their ears. Then, I always take a picture of the dog at the end.
How long have you had this job?
I’ve been grooming for seven years, and I just opened my own business at the beginning of October.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
I’ve always wanted to work with animals. … When I was 17 I got a job grooming, and due to unfortunate circumstances, [the business] lost a groomer, so I was kind of thrown right into it. I picked it up really fast. I was grooming completely by myself after about six months of working there. … Going into business on my own has always been something I’ve wanted to do. … I felt like it was finally the right time, so I did it.
What kind of education or training did you need?
There are no [training] requirements, but the company I used to work for would [participate in] grooming education classes, where we learned a lot about the different types of skin and coats that different dogs have and how shampoos affect them and things like that.
What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?
I wear scrub pants and a grooming smock. For shoes, I have tried, like, 15 different types of shoes, and waterproof sneakers are the best.
How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?
Not much changed as far as the actual grooming [process], but we did stop allowing people who weren’t employees to come inside the building; we’d go out to their cars to get their dogs and take their payment. … The pandemic was actually good for us business-wise, because a lot of people were getting dogs. We were overwhelmed with the amount of clients we had.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
When you’re starting out in grooming, it can get very discouraging. You’re watching another groomer who has been doing it for years, and they make it look super easy, but then you go to do it and you’re like, ‘Ah! I just made a giant line in the dog.’ But you do get better. That’s why I always take pictures [of the dogs]; you can look back and see how much you’ve grown.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
When you say you’re a groomer, people instantly say, ‘Oh, you get to play with puppies all day long,’ and that’s only somewhat true. Yes, you get some really cute, really friendly dogs, but you also get dogs that hate you and just want to eat you. I’ve had really aggressive dogs that try to attack the clippers, and dogs that have bit me several times, but I actually enjoy grooming the difficult dogs; we just work through each issue and try to figure out what their triggers are.
What was the first job you ever had?
I’ve only ever worked with dogs. When I was 15 and a half, I started a job working as a kennel attendant, cleaning up after the dogs and feeding and watering the dogs.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
Some weeks will be amazing, business-wise, and some weeks will be slow. The first week I opened, I had 20-something dogs, which is insane. Then another week I only had 13. You just have to keep pushing through it, and it will always get busy again.
Five favorites Favorite book: Marley and Me Favorite movie:Bridesmaids Favorite music: Country Favorite food: Chocolate, brownies, cookies, cakes — all desserts Favorite thing about NH: I love the constant change of the seasons, and I love that all of my family is here.
I know this isn’t worth a dime, but any idea who made this? I found it last week while digging in my basement. It was probably buried some time in the 1920s. Had hoped to find more pieces, but this was it. Must have been pretty.
Benoît from Concord
Dear Benoît,
Your ironstone shard is very pretty. It’s not uncommon to find pottery shards (fragments of broken pieces) in older homes, mostly outside. That is where people would dispose of items from the home. There are collectors today who love digging for bottles and such on older properties.
Your fragment of ironstone is a transferware shard. This means the patterns were transferred onto the pieces. It’s tough to tell the maker by the prong marks; there were so many at the time. But it doesn’t particularly matter; you are right that there isn’t a value because it is just a piece. But it is a piece of the home’s history, and that is priceless!
Get into the Thanksgiving spirit with a storytime and craft based on the 2003 book Grateful: A Story of Giving Thanks by John Bucchino, illustrated by Anna-Liisa Hakkarainen, at Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in Manchester; 836-6600, bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. RSVP-ing in advance (via the website) is encouraged.
See the trees
Not quite ready to put up your own holiday decorations? Check out the fully decorated trees at the 21st annual Fez-tival of Trees at the Bektash Shrine Center (189 Pembroke Road in Concord; nhshriners.org). The Fez-tival kicks off online this year on Friday, Nov. 19; in-person viewing starts Saturday, Nov. 20, at the center and runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m on Monday, Nov. 24; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, through Saturday, Nov. 27 (closed for Thanksgiving); and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 28, with the drawing of the winners of the trees starting at 4 p.m. Sunday, according to the website. Admission costs $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and kids 12 and under get in free. Refreshments will be for sale in the Candy Cane Cafe. Visit with Santa Claus on weekends, according to the event’s Facebook.
Run for fun
As we enter the “turkey trot” season of road races, here are a few happening the weekend before Thanksgiving:
The Gobble Wobble 5-Miler, which benefits the American Legion Auxiliary Wesley Wyman Unit 16, will start at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Goffstown Parks and Recreation (155 S. Mast Road). Registration is $40 for ages 12 and up and $35 for runners under 12, with prices increasing after 9 a.m. on Nov. 19. The cost is $40 for the virtual option, with registration open through Nov. 27. See totalimagerunning.com.
The 23rd annual Novemberfest for Nashua Children’s Home will be held Sunday, Nov. 21, at 11:33 a.m. at Mine Falls Park in Nashua, near the Pine Street Extension entrance. The 4-mile race is followed by post-race fun at Martha’s Exchange (185 Main St., Nashua). Registration is $25 and closes on Nov. 19; see gatecity.org.
Find more races happening next week and through the rest of the year in last week’s story about road races. See hippopress.com to find the e-edition of the Nov. 11 issue; the story by Meghan Siegler starts on page 10.
Catch a show
As mentioned last week, Free Birds(PG, 2013), a Thanksgiving-themed animated movie about two turkeys trying to stay off the menu (featuring the voices of Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson) will screen as part of the “Little Lunch Date” series on Friday, Nov. 19, at Chunky’s Cinema Pub theaters in Manchester (707 Huse Road), Nashua (151 Coliseum Ave.) and Pelham (150 Bridge St.), starting at 11:30 a.m. Secure a seat by purchasing $5 food vouchers for attendees at chunkys.com, which said the lights will be only slightly dimmed for this kid-friendly screening.
• Kick off the holiday season with The Nutcracker presented by the Southern New Hampshire Dance Theatre at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Friday, Nov. 19, through Sunday, Nov. 21. Shows are Friday, Nov. 19, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 20, at 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21, at noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 to $46.
New England is known worldwide for its fall color. People swarm here from all over, largely to see the color of our sugar maples. As a senior citizen I am legally entitled to drive around at 25 miles per hour, holding up traffic and enjoying every brilliant red tree I see. But I rarely do — I’m too busy in the garden, most of the time. But there is a lot more to see than maple trees.
For color I really enjoy the leaves of oaks and American beech. They hold on to their leaves much longer than the maples, often long into winter. Why is that? Probably because they have only migrated north after the last ice age, and where they came from — the American South — they did not have to drop leaves in the fall. That’s one theory I have read, anyway.
On sunny fall days the yellow leaves of beeches just glow. I enjoy them in the woods or alongside the road, but do not plant beeches or recommend them to others. There is a disease caused by the Neonectria fungus that is spread by scale insects. It mars their smooth gray bark and eventually kills the trees. So I advise enjoying them where you see them in the woods. Yes, there are systemic poisons you could apply to kill the scale insects and perhaps hold off the decline of an existing tree, but I don’t want poisons in my landscape.
Oaks vary considerably in their fall color. Deep reds, purples and browns are often mixed with reds depending on the locale, soil and species. Yellows and greens are often displayed on leaves, too.
One of the great features of oaks is their stamina: The “George Washington Oak” was only recently declared dead — at the age of 600 years. It grew in Bernards, N.J., and grew to have a trunk circumference of 18 feet and reach 100 feet tall. Oaks routinely live to be 300 years old if not abused by soil compaction and urban smog. Yet they are relatively fast growing when young: The pin oak can grow 12 to 15 feet in five to seven years.
Although I am tremendously keen on promoting native trees and shrubs, I do believe we can have a few imports, and one of my favorites for fall color is a large shrub called disanthus. It is listed as a Zone 5 plant, but I have had one in my Zone 4 garden for at least 10 years. Mine is now nearly 8 feet tall and wide. In the fall the leaves turn a brilliant purplish red, as good as or better than that dreaded invasive, burning bush, that was so popular before it was listed as an invasive. In October some years (but not every year) my disanthus bush has tiny pink-purple blossoms that you will only notice if looking for them. They come right out of the bark, without stems.
Witch hazel is one of the few native trees that flower in the fall. It is an understory tree that will grow in shade, partial shade or full sun. It has yellow fall foliage that pretty much obscures the yellow blossoms until leaf drop in October or November. Then the blossoms become prominent. The blossoms have four strap-like curly petals that are less than an inch across. Witch hazel usually has many, many blossoms.
Scientists have only recently discovered what pollinates witch hazel. Bees and other pollinators are no longer buzzing around when they bloom. But witch hazel produces nectar and brightly colored flowers to attract insects. No one knew what pollinated them until naturalist Bernd Heinrich discovered that it is the night-flying owlet moth. Apparently that moth can raise its temperature by 50 degrees by shivering. If only that would work for me!
The seven-son flower tree is another fall bloomer. It was imported from China in 1907, but sales never took off. It was reintroduced in 1980 and immediately became popular for its fast growth (I have seen stems grow 6 feet in a year) and fabulous shaggy bark in winter. Its mature height is said to be 25 feet, but I keep mine to 15 feet with pruning. It will grow in full sun or partial shade.
This year mine was still blooming in late October. The blossoms are small, white, lightly fragrant and appear in clusters of seven at the ends of branches. Later, if there is no frost, the sepals turn pink.
There is one other tree I grow that blooms in the fall each year, usually in September, and then only a few blossoms at a time. It is a magnolia, a hybrid called Jane, one of the Little Girl series. It blooms first in late spring, and then re-blooms once a month or so with a few fabulous deep pink 4-inch blossoms, with a light pink interior.
Jane grows in six hours of sun or more in moist, rich soils. The leaves are deep green and glossy, good enough to put in a vase. It is listed as a Zone 5 plant but does well in Zone 4 for me. Because it blooms in late spring, frosts in April do not affect it. It is a small tree, perhaps 15 feet tall, with a nice rounded shape.
Spring and summer will always be the best seasons for flowering trees, but I like to extend the seasons with trees that flower and look good well into winter.
Featured photo:Heptacodium blossoms are small, but lovely. Courtesy photo. Courtesy photo.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
“Fake News” by Rosemary Mack, featured in “The Dysfunction of Social Practice.” Courtesy photo.
• New art at the Mansion: The Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord) will have an opening reception for two new exhibitions on Saturday, Nov. 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. “Salon 2021” is on view now in the Carolyn Jenkins Gallery in the Carriage House and features a curated collection of offbeat and experimental small works in a variety of media by regional artists with diverse studio practices and artistic approaches. “The Dysfunction of Social Practice,” which opens that Saturday, will be housed in the Jill C. Wilson Gallery in the Kimball Jenkins Mansion. A collaboration between Kimball Jenkins and Manchester art gallery Kelley Stelling Contemporary, the exhibition will feature paintings, sculpture and performance works by New Hampshire artists Zach Dewitt, Emmett Donlon, Rosemary Mack, Heather Morgan and Meghan Samson. The reception is free and open to the public, with masks requested. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with evening and weekend visits available by request. As part of the “The Dysfunction of Social Practice” exhibit, there will be an experiential dance performance presented in partnership with the New Hampshire Dance Collaborative at the mansion on Thursday, Dec. 2, at 5:30 p.m. featuring dancers Kelly Diamond, Alyssa Desruisseaux, Anthony Bounphakhom and Sallie Werst. The event will include catered hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Tickets cost $50 and are available on the Kimball Jenkins website. Attendees must be fully vaccinated. Visit kelleystellingcontemporary.com and kimballjenkins.com, or call 225-3932.
• Reimagined kids art: Local artist Curt McGill will be at the Weare Real Food Market (65 N. Stark Highway, Weare) on Friday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., doing his reimagined children’s drawings. Kids are invited to bring a piece of their original artwork to McGill, who will talk with them about their artistic vision, then create a new work of art inspired by their piece. Space may be limited, so RSVPs are encouraged. McGill is also available to do reimaginings remotely for families who are not able to attend that day. Visit realfoodmarkets.com or send an email to wearerfm@gmail.com.
Reimagined children’s art by Curt McGill. Courtesy photo.
• Winter art classes: Art classes for teens and adults are starting up at Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester). The next five-week session begins on Nov. 29 and offers Pottery, Stained Glass, Intermediate Watercolor and Clay Hand Building. All classes meet for two hours each week. Call 232-5597 or visit 550arts.com for the full schedule and cost details.
• New York City artist exhibit: The Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) has a special exhibition featuring the paintings and sculpture of New York City artist Emily Noelle Lambert on view now through Jan. 9. Lambert has shown her work nationally and internationally in solo exhibitions in New York City, Chicago and South Korea as well as a number of group exhibitions. “I love swimming in a kind of visual mystery of things between abstraction, landscape and figuration,” Lambert said of her work in a press release from Saint Anselm. “I search for interactions between materials, colors and forms and often switch things up to keep my curiosity fresh.” The exhibition was curated by Fine Arts Professor Kimberly Kersey-Asbury, with assistance from fine art students on the layout and installation process. Visitors must wear masks inside the gallery. Visit anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities or call 641-7700.
Van Gogh dance
The DanceWorks Movement Design Performance Company presents its fall performance of “Starry Night” at The Amato Center for The Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon Road, Milford) on Sunday, Nov. 21, with showtimes at 3 and 6 p.m. Performed under the artistic direction of Tanya Bosse, “Starry Night” is a visual representation of the life and works of Vincent Van Gogh as interpreted through dance. Tickets are for reserved seating and cost $30 for adults and $15 for children, students and seniors. They can be purchased at the door, but purchasing them online in advance is recommended. Visit buy.tututix.com/danceworksmovementdesign.
• Modern take on a classic tale: Peter Pan will run at the Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth) from Nov. 18 through Dec. 23, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The classic tale will be performed with “a new treatment to modernize this magical piece of the Broadway canon,” according to the Seacoast Rep website. Tickets cost $32 to $50. Masks are required. Visit seacoastrep.org or call 433-4472.
Family first
The Majestic Theatre presents Over the River and Through the Woods at The Majestic Theatre Studios (880 Page St., Manchester), with showtimes on Friday, Nov. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. The play by Joe DiPietro follows the story of Nick, an Italian-American man from New Jersey who has been offered the job of his dreams in Seattle. Nick’s grandparents — both sets — with whom he shares dinner every Sunday, aren’t too keen on the idea of him moving, however, and the four of them hatch a scheme to keep him in New Jersey. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for seniors age 65 and up and youth age 17 and under. Call 669-7469 or visit majestictheatre.net.
ART
Exhibits
• JOAN L. DUNFEY EXHIBITION Features artwork in a variety of media by regional NHAA members and non-members that follows the theme “Portals.” On display at the New Hampshire Art Association’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State St., Portsmouth. Now through Nov. 28. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.
• “WPA IN NH: PHILIP GUSTON AND MUSA MCKIM” Exhibit features a pair of 14-foot monumental murals painted by artist Philip Guston and poet and painter Musa McKim for the Federal forestry building in Laconia, New Hampshire, in 1941. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Dec. 5. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “AROUND NEW HAMPSHIRE” On exhibit at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Visitor Center, 49 S. Main St., Concord, on view now through Dec. 16. Featuring the work of New Hampshire Art Association member Elaine Farmer, the exhibit features her oil paintings embodying New Hampshire’s iconic views and ideals, ranging from mountain lakes and birch tree woods to historic landmarks. Visit concordnhchamber.com or nhartassociation.org.
• “SLEIGHBELL STUDIO” Annual holiday showcase at Twiggs Gallery featuring a wide selection of fine art, jewelry, cards, books, honeys, soaps and more, all locally made and priced affordably for gift buying. Now through Dec. 18. 254 King St., Boscawen. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twiggsgallery.wordpress.com or call 975-0015.
• “SMALL WORKS — BIG IMPACT” Creative Ventures Gallery presents its annual holiday exhibit in-person at the gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford) and virtually on the gallery’s website (creativeventuresfineart.com/product-category/small-works-show). The exhibit features non-juried small works of art in a variety of media and styles, created by area professional and nonprofessional artists, priced affordably for holiday gift buying. Now through Dec. 31. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com or call 672-2500.
• “BIG GIFTS IN SMALL PACKAGES” The Seacoast Artist Association’s annual holiday exhibit, featuring a variety of small works of art priced under $100 for gift buying. Now through Jan. 7. 130 Water St., Exeter. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit seacoastartist.org or call 778-8856.
• “AS PRECIOUS AS GOLD: CARPETS FROM THE ISLAMIC WORLD” Exhibit features 32 carpets dating from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On view now through Feb. 27, 2022. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• “1,000 CRANES FOR NASHUA” Featuring more than 1,000 origami paper cranes created by hundreds of Nashua-area kids, adults and families since April. On display now at The Atrium at St. Joseph Hospital, 172 Kinsley St., Nashua. Visit nashuasculpturesymposium.org.
• “NEW HAMPSHIRE NOW” A collaborative photography project presented by the New Hampshire Historical Society and the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists, on display in eight exhibitions at museums and historical societies across the state. Nearly 50 photographers participated in the project, taking more than 5,000 photos of New Hampshire people, places, culture and events from 2018 to 2020 to create a 21st-century portrait of life in the Granite State. Exhibition locations include Belknap Mill Society in Laconia; Colby-Sawyer College in New London; Portsmouth Historical Society; Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene; the Manchester Historic Association; Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University; and the Tillotson Center in Colebrook; with the flagship exhibition at the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord. Visit newhampshirenow.org and nhhistory.org.
• GALLERY ART A new collection of art by more than 20 area artists on display now in-person and online. Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford). Call 672-2500 or visit creativeventuresfineart.com.
• “TOMIE DEPAOLA AT THE CURRIER” Exhibition celebrates the illustrator’s life and legacy through a collection of his original drawings. On view now. Currier Museum of Art, 150 Ash St., Manchester. Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibit in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email tsink@concordnhchamber.com.
• “9/11” Exhibit features images of the September 11 attacks and the aftermath, taken by war photographer Jim Nachtwey. On view now. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). Museum admission tickets cost $15, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, and must be booked online. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
Tours
• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.
THEATER
Shows
• THE WEDDING SINGER Presented by The Peacock Players. Court Street Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua). Now through Nov. 21, with showtimes on Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Visit peacockplayers.org.
• 9/12 New World Theatre presents. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Now through Nov. 21, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.
• THAT GOLDEN GIRLS SHOW: A PUPPET PARODY at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Sat., Nov. 20, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $35.
• THE NUTCRACKER The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) presents. Fri., Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 20, 11 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.; and Sun., Nov. 21, noon and 4:30 p.m. Tickets $39 to $46 for adults and $25 for children. Call 668-5588 or visit palacetheatre.org.
• DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Dec. 3 through Dec. 19. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.
• TRUE TALES LIVE Monthly showcase of storytellers. Held virtually via Zoom. Last Tuesday of the month, 7 p.m., Now through December. Visit truetaleslivenh.org.
• SCENE CHANGES Produced by New World Theatre. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Jan. 7 through Jan. 23. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.
• MARY & ME Produced by Glass Dove Productions. The Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord). Jan. 28 through Feb. 13. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.
• LAST GAS Produced by the Community Players of Concord. Concord City Auditorium, 2 Prince St., Concord. Feb. 11 through Feb. 13. Tickets $18 for adults, $16 for ages 17 and under, $16 for ages 65 and up. Visit communityplayersofconcord.org.
• LIFESPAN OF A FACT Produced by Lend Me a Theater. The Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road, Concord). Feb. 18 through March 6. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members. Visit hatboxnh.com.
Classical
• HOLIDAY BRASS Symphony NH performs holiday brass music. Sat., Nov. 27, 7:30 p.m. St. Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, 39 Chandler St., Nashua. Tickets range from $20 to $60 for adults, from $18 to $55 for seniors age 65+ and are free for children. Visit symphonynh.org.
• HOLIDAY POPS The New Hampshire Philharmonic performs holiday music. Sat., Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m., and Sun., Dec. 19, 2 p.m. Seifert Performing Arts Center, 44 Geremonty Drive, Salem. Tickets cost $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $8 for students. Visit nhphil.org.
Concord author talks about the inspiration for her award-winning book
A children’s book born out of divorce, a trip to a garden center and an itch to write has won two 2021 Biennial New Hampshire Literary Awards, two years after it was self-published by Kayla Fisher — a surgical technician with “a writer’s heart.”
Rootbound Rescue won the Children’s Picture Book category and the People’s Choice Award in that category, the only book out of the 80-plus submitted to win two awards. It’s about a hellebore rose named Helen who is uprooted from the life she expects and learns how to flourish in her new life with the help of some animal friends.
“She’s packed in the back of a truck, on her way to be planted in a spectacular garden, when the truck hits a bump and she falls off and lands in a ditch,” Fisher said. “A lizard comes … and says, ‘You are where you are. You’re here. This is where you landed, like it or not [so] be here and grow here.’”
The idea for the book came during a trip to a local garden center, when Fisher saw the owner, Dennis, grab a plant that was too big for its pot, tear out some of its overgrown roots, and settle it into a bigger pot.
“It just hit me, this analogy of having your roots ripped up,” she said.
Fisher saw her own life in that moment. Newly divorced, she’d been feeling unrooted herself, worried about how she was going to grow in this new life that she hadn’t expected.
“You put your roots down with a person and it [doesn’t] work and you basically just got torn out of the ground,” she said. “After I saw [Dennis] pull that plant out I thought, that’s my story. It clicked so heavily, it surprised me.”
Fisher wasn’t new to writing; her first career was in marketing and PR, and she wrote for magazines as a freelancer. She took time off to raise her children, but when she was ready to get back into the workforce, technology and social media had changed marketing as she knew it. So she decided to go back to school to get into the medical field.
“I graduated high school 1985, when AIDS was really coming to light, and I really wanted to get into medical research and I really wanted to solve this problem,” she said.
But her English teacher pointed out that her grade in chemistry was a D+ and encouraged her to stick with what she excelled at.
An illustration by Rebeka Chase from Rootbound Rescue.
“She said, ‘That is the gift that you have — go be a writer,’” Fisher said.
So while Fisher transitioned to the medical field and trained to be a surgical technician, it was important to her to continue writing, as a hobby rather than a job.
“I used to write for money, and now I write for love,” she said. “I have a writer’s heart.”
It had been a lifelong dream to write a children’s book, so that’s where her heart took her with Rootbound Rescue. She worked on the book over the course of a year, writing for at least 15 minutes a day.
When the writing piece was done, Fisher reached out to Beka Chase, a graphic designer she’d worked with when doing PR.
“I always stayed in touch with her because she was just brilliant,” Fisher said.
It took a couple of years for the two to finish the book, incorporating the illustrations into the text.
“It was just a really great creative process; she would do these beautiful boards and creative development,” Fisher said. “She was very intuitive. … The characters jumped off the page the way she developed [them].”
The end product isn’t your typical children’s picture book, Fisher said. It’s more than 50 pages long, and the message is one that likely resonates with adults, too. Fisher likened it to the message in Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, and to pretty much any Disney movie, with content and concepts that are more adult but with characters and visuals that are appealing to children.
“I think that for kids it’s an opportunity to look at how you grow and how you have to change,” Fisher said. “[It] has sort of this timeless message of growth.”
Rootbound Rescue was published in July 2019, but Fisher said that was more for herself and her sense of accomplishment. But as a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project, she was aware of the biennial New Hampshire Literary Awards, and the 2021 awards accepted for consideration any book written in New Hampshire from 2019 on. So she went for it, and the feedback and two awards were beyond her expectations.
“This is my piece of art, [and] I’ve been thrilled with how it’s been received,” she said.
Knowing that people see value in her book has prompted Fisher to start promoting it, which she had never really done before, so to her it almost feels like the book is newly published. She’s thinking about writing another one, too.
“In my mind I’m working on another children’s book with my 16-year-old daughter, Olivia, [who is] an amazing writer,” Fisher said.
The two of them had been pondering the marvels of their golden retriever’s face one day and started throwing out story ideas. The title, if they do turn it into a book, will be Saggy Baggy Dog Jaw.
“I think she’s working on it in her head too,” Fisher said.
Rootbound Rescue
You can find Kayla Fisher’s children’s book in Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, on Amazon and on lulu.com.
The Peacock Players wrap up two weekends of presenting The Wedding Singer with a show tonight at 7 p.m. (as well as Saturday, Nov. 20, at 2 and 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m.). The show runs at Court Street Theatre (14 Court St. in Nashua). Tickets cost $14 to $19 and are available at peacockplayers.org.
Saturday, Nov. 20
The 21st annual Fez-tival of Trees starts today at the Bektash Shrine Center (189 Pembroke Road in Concord; nhshriners.org) and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. most days through Sunday, Nov. 28. See multiple fully decorated trees, which will be raffled off. Admission costs $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and kids 12 and under get in free.
Saturday, Nov. 20
It’s another weekend to get in some craft fair shopping.
Today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the First Parish Church (47 E. Derry Road in Derry; 434-0628) will hold its 77th annual Sugar Plum Fair. In addition to crafters, find raffle baskets, a cookie walk and the Hungry Caterpillar food truck, according to fpc-ucc.org.
The YMCA Allard Center of Goffstown (116 Goffstown Back Road; graniteymca.org) will hold its craft fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring more than 40 vendors, homemade baked goods, door prizes, membership discounts and more, according to the center’s Facebook page.
The Deerfield Community Church (15 Church St.; 463-7734, deerchurch.org) will hold its fair today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to the website.
Londonderry High School (295 Mammoth Road; lhs.londonderry.org, 432-6941) will hold its craft fair today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the website.
Thorton’s Ferry School (134 Camp Sargent Road in Merrimack; 889-1577) will hold its annual holiday craft fair with more than 80 crafters and vendors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a raffle room and silent auction, concession cafe, bake sale, book fair and a free Elf Clinic, according to pttf-events.com. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the website said.
Trinity Episcopal Church (200 High St. in Hampton; trinityhampton.org, 926-5688) will hold its Holly Berry Fair today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sister church Christ Episcopal Church (1035 Lafayette Road in Portsmouth; christepiscopalchurch.us) will hold its Holly Berry Fair at the same time, featuring a cookie walk, baked goods, a silent auction, crafters and vendors and more, according to the website.
Thrive Outdoors (190 Elm St. in Manchester; 625-6600, thriveoutdoorsnh.com) will hold a Crafts Holiday Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Today and tomorrow, Nov. 21, check out the Bow PTO craft fair (Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) at Bow High School (55 Falcon Way in Bow). Admission costs $2 and the fair will feature more than 150 artists, according to bowpto.digitalpto.com.
The Spelled Out Psychic Fair and Full Moon Market will be held at the Hunt Memorial Building (6 Main St. in Nashua) today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free; the event includes psychic readers as well as crafters and more, according to a press release; see spelledoutshop.com.
The Seacoast Artisans 22nd annual holiday fine arts and craft show will run today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 35 Lafayette Road in Lafayette Crossing Plaza, Hampton. Admission costs $5 (kids 14 and under get in free). See seacoastartisansshows.com.
Sunday, Nov. 21
Catch the Freese Brothers Big Band today at 2 p.m. at the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $29.
Save the Date! Friday, Dec. 10
Matt Nakoa will play the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m. Tickets for the singer-songwriter’s show cost $22 (plus fees) in advance and an extra $2 at the door. See and hear Nakoa at mattnakoa.com.
New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation sector created $2.2 billion in economic activity in 2020, making it among the Top 10 states in the nation with the highest value added to the state’s gross domestic product (2.6 percent), according to a press release from the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs. Though non-traditional outdoor activities like amusement parks, water parks and festivals were negatively impacted by the pandemic, more conventional outdoor activities like camping, boating, fishing and RVing either increased or stayed the same: boating/fishing increased by 41 percent, bicycling by 14 percent, RVing by 9 percent and OHRVing by 5 percent.
Score: +1
Comment:New Hampshire’s outdoor recreation industry employed more than 26,500 people in 2020, according to the release.
A new challenge to staying connected
New Hampshire residents who rely on 3G service could find themselves disconnected come 2022, as cell carriers shut down the old network to make way for higher-speed, more reliable 5G service, according to a report from WMUR. By the end of 2022 all 3G service will be obsolete, so people with older cell phones and tablets should check with their carriers to find out when they plan to stop 3G service.
Score: -1
Comment:According to the WMUR report, there are some medical devices and in-vehicle data services that still depend on the 3G network, too, and services like OnStar are contacting customers about plans to update its software to keep people connected.
Community caring
Students of the Granite State Independent Living programs in Manchester, Nashua, Concord and Littleton are giving back to their communities all month long, according to a press release. Granite State Independent Living helps underserved students with disabilities transition from high school to the workforce or a post-secondary education. Now some of those students are reaching out to help others; locally, Manchester students are writing thank-you notes to health care workers, Nashua students will volunteer at the Nashua Soup Kitchen and make Christmas ornaments for a local nursing home, and Concord students will prepare Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless.
Score: +1
Comment:“Our students are remarkable and we are deeply touched to see their youthful enthusiasm for various community projects all around the state,” Deborah Ritcey, CEO of GSIL, said in the release. “It’s a great way to showcase the kindness and generosity of these young people.”
Even easier travel options at MHT
Prefer to fly nonstop, and from Manchester, not Boston? Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has launched two more nonstop routes on Spirit Airlines, to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers and Tampa International Airport, joining its nonstop routes to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, according to a press release. This also adds more options for passengers who want to fly internationally, as they can connect in Florida to destinations like Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico and Costa Rica. Spirit started flying out of MHT this year, the first new airline at the airport in 17 years.
Score: +1
Comment:“Time and time again, our passengers are showing us that they prefer to fly out of MHT, even to connect internationally,” Airport Director Ted Kitchens said in the press release. “It’s exciting to see Spirit expanding to two more Florida destinations from MHT.”
QOL score: 75
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 77
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.
With the general managers meeting being held in California last week, baseball’s hot stove league is off and running. It is by far the most interesting part of the baseball year for me — the team-building phase. It involves teams analyzing their strengths and weaknesses, an avalanche of unfounded trade rumors, the free agent sweepstakes, bargain hunting and some actual big trades.
There’s usually also an ample number of colossally dumb moves, with most being the result of over-spending by desperate teams to eventually handcuff them financially for years to come like the Sox dropping $178 million on Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval to placate irritable fans after finishing last in 2014.
But with Sox GM Chaim Bloom having a different mandate from ownership, that doesn’t seem to be the case going forward. At least let’s hope not.
Before they can figure out what they should do, they need to decide their strengths and weaknesses, whom they’re willing to trade if need be and what the financial picture is. The latter is the place to start because, like it or not, it determines every move.
Financial situation: With a payroll north of $190 million they are not “Tampa Bay by the Charles,” as Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy mockingly calls them. He still somehow doesn’t get that what makes an owner a good one is not how much they spend but how they spend it, Exhibit A being those D-Rays, who despite spending $334 million less on payroll have won 34 more games than Boston in the last three seasons, finished ahead of them all three times and won the AL East twice. And if 2020 had been a full 162-game season it would be more like 50 wins and $400 million. I get how people don’t like TB’s style and treating stat geekiness as gospel. But, out of pure necessity, they have figured out how to win cost-effectively. That seems like a process to study, not mock.
After some financial pruning after Bloom arrived to get under the luxury tax line and put the financial house in order, the Soxappear to havethe flexibility to go after a big free agents if they choose. Though any move must take into account that Xander Bogaerts and Raffy Devers will be up for mega deals after 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Biggest strengths:(1) Whether they re-sign Kyle Schwarber or not, the batting order from 2-5 is top-notch. (2) Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck give them two young, versatile pitchers to build around, whether it’s in the bullpen or as low-cost starters for the next five years. (3) Position versatility from Kiké Hernandez and Alex Verdugo. (4) With Whitlock, Houck, Chris Sale, Nate Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta they have options on where to go to strengthen the full pitching staff. (5) Team karma under Alex Cora.
Biggest weaknesses:(1) Infield defense. (2) A mostly awful bullpen, which is bad when your manager routinely pulls starters far too early in games than he should. That’s especially if Houck and Whitlock become starters. (3) A second baseman. (4) A lead-off and it would be nice if he could also play second base.
Biggest question mark:What can/will Sale be going forward? Ace, or fourth-level starter?
Top trade bait:(1) J.D. Martinez. (2) Alex Verdugo. I like him, but I’m not in love with him, so in the right deal — go. (3) Raffy Devers. Given the financial realities of the day, they’ll probably have to decide who gets the giant contract, Bogie or Raffy. I’d take Bogie because his body will age better and eventually be a better big bat defensive option at third. Hope I’m wrong ’cause he could be great, but that’s what I see eventually happening. (4) Depending what happens with Schwarber and Raffy, Bobby Dalbec.
Decision 1 – J.D. Martinez.He opted into his final year at $20 million so they have a DH. Some don’t think that was a good thing, but I do because they now have a good player to put in any deal they want to.
Decision 2 – Whitlock and Tanner. If they stay in the bullpen, it gives them two two-inning pitchers to build around. But even with the value that offers, I’d make them starters because it gives the Sox two low-cost options in the rotation under contractual control for several years. If Pivetta can follow up his decent 2021 season that makes three, to leave a lot of resources to invest in the total makeover needed for the bullpen. Decision 3 – Big trade vs. big free agent. In lieu of the plan of developing a deep farm system, I lean toward free agent to fill major holes. That lets the farm system rebuild continue without pulling talent out before the plan is done.
Decision 4 – Big hitter. As long as the length of the deal doesn’t go beyond four years (five at the most) I’m fine with re-signing Kyle Schwarber.In addition to his power, I like his position (DH, LF, 1B) versatility. Plus if they sign him Martinez could be traded for relief pitching. Another option is Marcus Semien, who hit 45 homers and knocked in 102 for Toronto and since he plays second base he’d fill two needs. Though I wonder if he can do it again since it was the career year.
Once that’s all done, it’s time to act. Hopefully leading to more Tampa Bay by the Charles moves along the lines of Bloom spending just $10 million for the 51 homers, 159 RBI, a gold glove nomination and a crazy productive post-season delivered by Kiké Hernandez and Hunter Renfroe rather than the aforementioned Ramirez/Sandoval $178 million debacle Shaughnessy “commended” when it happened in 2014, and that the baseball economic dinosaur apparently still pines for.
The Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord will welcome its new executive director, Salvatore Prizio, on Monday, Nov. 29. Prizio talked about what he brings to the position and his short- and long-term goals for the performing arts venue.
What is your background in this kind of work?
I went to Northeastern University as a music industry major. I spent the better part of 10 years in New York City, working in the record business and touring and playing with my own bands. Then I moved to upstate New York with my wife and we opened a place called Bread and Jam, a 100- to 150-person coffee house where we had live music four nights a week. I had that for about two years, but it was during the Great Recession and business wasn’t as good as I hoped. … I went to [work at] the College of Saint Rose for about six years, running the Massry Center for the Arts, a 400-seat recital hall and performing arts center venue. I loved it there, and we did fantastic things with that space, but I couldn’t grow anymore. I started … doing programming for Proctor’s Collaborative, which has venues all over the Capital Region [of the U.S.] and a contract with Rivers Casino, booking their talent. … I was also able to expand my skills and do some work on the logistical side of things, like getting venues up and running, doing support work for the board, supporting fundraising teams, that sort of stuff. After five years there, I really wanted to take the next step to become an executive director. When the search firm [informed] me about the opportunity at the Capitol Center, I thought it was the right-sized organization and right time for me to step into that role.
What will your job entail?
At an organization of this size, the executive director does a bit of everything. I’ll be working with our programming person to make sure our programming is meeting our goals and objectives from a mission standpoint, while also making sure we’re being fiscally responsible. I’ll oversee budgets; implement or make changes to the strategic plan that’s in place; work with the board on a daily basis; check in with our ops team and make sure we have proper staffing.
What do you expect to be some of the biggest challenges?
One of the major issues CCA and all performing arts centers are facing now is getting back on their feet [financially]. They have a lot of fiscal issues from being shut down for months. … How do you balance expanding [programming] … while making sure you’re not being irresponsible from a budgetary standpoint? … The other piece of that is, like most businesses, the Capitol Center had to lay off a lot of staff, and now getting qualified staff back is a huge challenge. … Then, there’s people’s reticence to get back [out]. We have to help alleviate that through safety measures, making sure people feel comfortable again. … Once I get to understand the organization more, I’m going to develop strategies for the best practices moving forward.
What are some of your immediate goals?
Coming from upstate New York to a city like Concord, there are going to be differences — not major differences, but nuances — so my first goal is to really understand those differences. Then there are some nuts-and-bolts things … like updating the website … and getting our staffing back up to where it needs to be.
What are some of your long-term goals?
Most people think of a performing arts center as a place with four walls, seats and a stage, where you go to experience art, whether it’s comedy, music, theater or whatever. What I really want to do is break down those barriers of what a typical performing arts center is … and start thinking about CCA as more of a presenter/promoter. If there are communities that can’t get into our space, whether it’s because of mobility issues or economic challenges or anything like that, we want to be able to present [programming for them] outside of our buildings — things like street fairs, block parties and festivals and [events] at their community centers. … While researching this position, I found out New Hampshire is home to many new Americans, so I’m excited to find out who those communities are and have conversations with them about what types of art would resonate best within their communities. … During the pandemic, many performing arts centers were able to pivot to digital media so they could still reach their patrons, and that’s going to be a long-term component of performing arts centers. I can see the Capitol Center having more multimedia-kind of presentations; that’s going to be critical for us down the road. It’s a way we can reach a wider audience and allow people who might not have the opportunity to get to our physical space, like some of the folks living in senior centers, for example, to experience art from the comfort of their own home.
What unique qualities or perspectives do you bring to this position?
I bring enthusiasm, openness, acceptance and a willingness to stretch the boundaries of what people think about art. Inclusiveness is a huge thing I want to emphasize; I want everyone to know there’s a seat for them here. In this world where everything has become so polarized, I feel art is something that can always bring us together. I take that responsibility very seriously, but with a sense of joy.
