211209 – Page 3

This Week 21/12/09

Big Events December 9, 2021 and beyond

Thursday, Dec. 9

Productions of A Christmas Carol take place on stages throughout the area this weekend. Tonight, the Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) continues its run (shows continue through Dec. 22) with shows at 7:30 p.m. tonight and tomorrow; 2 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, and noon on Sunday, Dec. 12.

The Hatbox Theatre’s (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com) production (which continues through Dec. 19) has showtimes Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m.

For a slightly different take on the main character, the Majestic Theatre presentsScrooge in Loveat the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry) on Friday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m. This continuation of the Christmas Carol story looks at Scrooge a year later when the ghosts return to help Ebenezer find love, according to majestictheatre.net.

Friday, Dec. 10

This week’s craft fairs kick off tonight.

• The Great New England Craft & Artisan Show (gnecraftartisanshows.com) runs today from 5 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road in Milford). Admission is free; Santa will make an appearance on Saturday.

• The Auburn Village School (11 Eaton Hill Road in Auburn) will hold its Holiday Craft and Vendor Fair Saturday, Dec. 11, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with more than 30 vendors and crafters, kids crafts and games, concessions and a visit from Santa, according to the school’s Facebook page.

• Bishop Brady High School (25 Columbus Ave. in Concord; bishopbrady.edu) will hold its Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• On Saturday, Dec. 11, the Holly Jolly Craft Fair (joycescraftshows.com/nh-craft-fairs-schedule) will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel (2 Somerset Plaza in Nashua).

• The Canterbury Community Farmers Market Association (canterburyfarmersmarket.com) will hold a special indoor holiday-themed market with food, art and crafts on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the gymnasium of Canterbury Elementary School (15 Baptist Road).

• The NH Audubon McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road in Concord; nhaudubon.org) will host a Holiday Craft Fair on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Nature Store will also be open.

• The Wrong Brain Holidaze Bizaare (facebook.com/wrongbrain) will take place Saturday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Millspace (55 Main St. in Newmarket) featuring artwork and artisan crafted items.

• The Santa’s Workshop Craft Fair will run at the Derry VFW (18 Railroad Ave. in Derry) on Sunday, Dec. 12, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 10

Celebrate the annual Amherst tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Amherst Town Green. Treats will be available for purchase, according to amhersttreelightingfestival.weebly.com. Keep the holiday spirit going in Amherst with a performance by the Souhegan Valley Chorus Saturday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m. at Souhegan High School (tickets on sale at the door) and a free holiday concert by the Amherst Town Band Sunday, Dec. 12, at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 11

The Canterbury Shaker Village (288 Shaker Road in Canterbury; shakersorg) kicks off two weekends of its “Merry Merry Canterbury” celebration today. The events take place Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 (as well as Dec. 18 and Dec. 19) from 1 to 5 p.m. Reserve a spot in advance for $20 per adult (free for kids). The days will include a seasonal display in the bar, a craft, a 19th-century magic show and carols. (For $50, attend the Candlelight Tours the following weekend.)

Saturday, Dec. 11

Take a drive and see some lights: Light Up New Boston will take place on Saturday, Dec. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. Find a map to houses with holiday displays at newbostonnh.gov. The event follows the S’mores with Santa event from 4 to 6 p.m. which features a tree-lighting, a chance to meet Santa and s’mores.

Featured photo: Glass art window by Doris massetti. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 21/12/09

Putting a damper on shopping

The Mall of New Hampshire had to shut down its food establishments temporarily after a massage chair caught fire. According to a press release, the Manchester Fire Department responded to the call around 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 5 and found heavy smoke throughout the mall. The sprinkler had turned on and contained the fire to the area of the massage chair, which, according to a report from WMUR, was said to have been in a hallway outside of Best Buy and the food court. There was water damage in the area of the fire and smoke damage throughout, according to the fire department’s report, but no one was injured. The mall’s eateries were scheduled to reopen upon passing inspection from the Manchester Health Department, according to WMUR.

Score: -1

Comment: What is Christmas shopping without snacks and a massage?

Granite State gives

New Hampshire is the 9th most generous state, according to GoFundMe’s annual Giving Report. The fundraising platform’s report includes a list of the most generous states and cities in America for supporting individuals, causes and organizations in 2021. According to the report, the top three states are Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut. The rankings are based on the number of donations per capita on GoFundMe.

Score: +1

Comment: All six New England states made it into the Top 10, according to the report.

Student success

Two New Hampshire students — Matthew Blair of Manchester Central High School and Warren Chen of Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua — have been selected to participate in the 60th Annual U.S. Senate Youth Program. According to a press release, the two were nominated by their principals and were selected by a panel of judges. Blair, a senior, is class president, editor-in-chief of Central’s school newspaper, co-captain of the Boys’ Varsity Hockey Team, drum major and a National Honor Society member, and he’s ranked 1st in his class with a 4.0 GPA. Chen, a junior, is the school’s junior communications officer and has “thrived in a challenging program of study … [and] contributed greatly to the school community while engaging and collaborating with everyone,” according to the release. Alternates are Matthew Pemberton at Bedford High School and Max Aframe at Hopkinton High School.

Score: +1

Comment: Both students will receive a $10,000 scholarship and will represent the Granite State in an intensive study of the federal government, joining alums like former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, the release said.

QOL score: 77

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 78

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

NFL stretch run preview

With December here and four games left to play, let’s take a look at where things stand for the Patriots and the rest of the NFL as they jockey for playoff position.

After Monday Night’s, um, unique 14-10 win over the Bills in very windy Buffalo, the Patriots go into their bye week as the Top Seed in the AFC thanks to a best in the conference 9-4 record. Now they’ll sit by and wait for the outcomes of a bunch of games with implications for the AFC playoff picture this week that could help or hurt the Pats’ place in the scrum. They are Baltimore at Cleveland, SF at Cincy, LV at KC, and the biggie, Buffalo at Tampa Bay, that will have Patriot Nation hoping TB delivers one more solid for the Foxboro faithful with a win.

Who’s hot: While not blowing anyone away like past seasons, it’s KC with five straight wins to regain control in the AFC West. Miami’s also won five straight, and while they’re just 6 and 7, they could be a problem for Pats if they’re still red hot when they meet in Miami in Week 17.

Who’s not: After losing on a failed two-point conversion on Sunday’s final play vs. Pittsburgh it’s the Ravens. Still have the AFC North lead, but after losing three of six amid three skin-of-their-teeth wins their seeming lock on top seed in the AFC is gone. Especially with five tough closing games ahead.

In my season preview I had Buffalo and TB in the SB. Now, since I’m still not convinced on Arizona, I’ll recalibrate to a KC-TB rematch. Though having said that, the Pats can beat anyone and I won’t be surprised if they get there.

However, with the Rams and Cardinals playing on Monday night I’ll get a chance to re-evaluate Arizona. And in a matter related to Zona having the best record in the league, a lot has to do with QB Kyler Murray and his league-leading 110.2 in QB rating. All of which makes it obvious the former first-round pick of the Oakland A’s made the right call choosing the NFL over MLB.

Murray is not the only former first overall pick who’s thriving in 2021. Joe Burrow is having a nice year too. With the Bengals in the playoff hunt, he’s thrown for 2,835 yards and 22 TD passes to put him on pace for 34 and 4,400. Not a bad second season.

Not so much for the first overall before Murray and Burrow, however, as there are major grumbles all over Cleveland about Baker Mayfield as he comes up for his first big contract. A big decision for the Browns and it will be interesting to see if they punt on Mayfield to start their QB hunt again. I bet they sign him, but for nowhere near the $40 million people were throwing around last summer.

Speaking of big money decisions, Coach B has a big one coming up at the end of the year as it’s no secret JC Jackson will get a boatload after another great season. The options: if it gets too expensive let him walk, extend him for big money (which he should have done last winter) or franchise him for north of $17 million per. One side of history says after seeing Ty Law, the still bitter Asante Samuel, Darrelle Revis, Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore walk out that door Coach B will let JC do that as well. But my history says he should not let that happen, because the Pats went 10 years without winning the SB from when Law left after 2004 to when Revis arrived in 2014. They’ve also never won it without a top-flight CB in the secondary — Law (2001, ’03, ’04), Revis (2014), Butler (2016) and Gilmore (2018). In other words, Bill, don’t screw this up.

The latest evidence is in for just how idiotic stat geek analysis is. It comes from Pro Football Focus, which gave Mac Jones his worst graded game so far after the 36-13 win over Tennessee when all he did was complete 73 percent of his passes while throwing for a career-best 310 yards, two TD passes and no interceptions. The 122.3 QB rating was, oh by the way, the best in the entire NFL for Week 12. Guess they didn’t see the New Orleans or L.A. Chargers games when the QB ratings were 70.8 and 55.2 respectively. You have to see the marking categories, but suffice it to say they are nitpicking nonsense.

The most remarkable Patriots stat of the season has been them going into the Buffalo game with the largest (+186) point differential in the entire NFL. Who saw that coming with a rookie QB?

Patrick Mahomes just does not look fast or especially athletic to me, but when he runs out of the pocket he still somehow always seems to get to the sticks for a first down or just squeezes into the corner of the end zone as he did on his 12-yard scramble for the first TD in KC’s Sunday night win vs. Denver.

While Cooper Kupp sounds more like a sporting goods company specializing in protective equipment for baseball catchers, he actually is the Rams wideout who’s having a hellacious season. He’s on pace for 142 catches and 1,929 receiving yards, which has him in range of the all-time record in both categories of 149 and 1,964.

I must admit I had barely ever heard of Colts RB Jonathan Taylor until I saw him gash the Bills for 185 rushing yards and five TD’s as Indy carved them up in their 41-15 Week 11 demolition of Buffalo. He’s worth the price of admission.

But, with him on a collision course with the Patriots defense on Saturday night — be careful what you wish for.

What’s in store

Shop local this holiday season

Nancy Kyle, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Retail Association, talked about the current state of New Hampshire’s retail industry and how shopping locally benefits consumers, businesses and communities.

How are small businesses doing right now?

Retailers are actually doing fairly well. There’s been a real shift over the last five or 10 years to a trend of shopping locally … and people’s overall mindset of wanting to buy items that were grown or made in their own community. Interestingly enough, a lot of millennials actually prefer to shop in stores rather than online. … On Cyber Monday, which is supposed to be the biggest online shopping day of the year, the [sales] numbers this year were less than they were last year. The Thanksgiving holiday weekend had very good numbers of people out in the community and shopping.

Why do you think that is?

I think people just want to start going back out and shopping in stores. … Because of the times we’ve been in and the restrictions in place because of Covid, a lot of people haven’t been traveling as much; they haven’t been going to as many concerts; they haven’t been eating out as often; so they haven’t been spending as much money. I think there’s a pent-up demand, now, to go shopping, and to spend their money on the people in their lives who are important to them.

What changes and new business models born out of the pandemic are here to stay?

A big thing stores are doing now is having more outreach with their customers using Zoom. Local bookstores are a perfect example; they’re doing Zoom calls with authors who have new books coming out [as a way to] get people to come in [to the store] and buy the books. I know of some clothing stores that are having fashion shows on Zoom and social media to sell items. These are all new things; they weren’t happening before Covid. … Delivery, curbside pickup — all of that is here to stay, too. We’re all really busy, and it’s just really convenient when we can order something online and have it brought out to our car. That has only helped [local businesses’] cause and encouraged more people to want to shop local.

What are the perks of shopping locally for the consumer?

When you buy from a local business rather than ordering from [a seller] halfway across the country, you’re not going to have to deal with the shipping problems that a lot of us are seeing right now; you’ll get your things in a timely manner. … You’re getting very unique gifts that you probably wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else … and the quality of the goods is oftentimes better. … A lot of times you’re dealing directly with the owner of a store, so it’s a more personal experience. If you go into a store downtown looking for a specific item and they don’t have it, they’ll recommend somewhere else [locally] that you can get it.

How does shopping locally benefit the communities?

Because of our lack of a sales tax, retail is a cornerstone of the state’s economy and a really strong and vibrant part of our state. One out of every four people in the state is employed in some type of retail industry. … When you shop local, you’re putting your dollars into your community. You’re investing in people who are invested in your community. These small, local businesses are there for us — they’re the ones supporting your little league teams, supporting your kids in school when they’re selling candy bars — so it’s time for us to be there for them. … Last year was a challenging time for them, and with Covid numbers surging again, it will be challenging again … so let’s try to get out there and support them as much as we can.

How can consumers discover local businesses to support?

Look in your community. Search for [local businesses] on Facebook and social media. Walk around your downtown. A lot of towns also have special [event] weekends before Christmas with carolers and activities for kids and things to bring people downtown. Those community events are a great opportunity for people to walk in the doors of local businesses and support them.

Featured photo: Nancy Kyle. Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 21/12/09

Covid-19 update	As of Nov 29	As of Dec 6
Total cases statewide	160,287	169,219
Total current infections statewide	7,078	9,671
Total deaths statewide	1,694	1,744
New cases	9,474 (Nov. 20 to Nov. 29)	8,932 (Nov. 30 to Dec. 6
Current infections: Hillsborough County	2,124	2,436 (as of Dec. 3)
Current infections: Merrimack County	751	923 (as of Dec. 3)
Current infections: Rockingham County	1,251	1,580 (as of Dec. 3)

Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.

Covid-19 news

During the state’s weekly public health update on Nov. 30, Gov. Chris Sununu reported that New Hampshire saw a 43 percent increase in hospitalizations due to Covid-19 just in the last two weeks. A total of 433 active hospitalizations were reported on Dec. 6, a new all-time high.

State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan also gave brief remarks during the press conference about the emergence of the Omicron variant, which was first reported to the World Health Organization from South Africa on Nov. 24. Although the strain has not yet been identified in New Hampshire as of Dec. 6, it has been detected in at least 15 U.S. states, according to the CDC, including in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. “Because of the number and the types of mutations that are seen with this new strain, it’s predicted that this new variant … will be more infectious and possibly evade a person’s immune defense system,” Chan said. “It highlights the importance for everybody who is eligible to be vaccinated and to continue to take precautions.”

About 10,000 Granite Staters are scheduled to receive their booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine on Dec. 11, across more than 20 pop-up community sites statewide. As of Dec. 6, appointments are full at every site except for the Brown Elementary School in Berlin, but booster doses can still be scheduled at participating local pharmacies or doctor’s offices in the coming weeks. Go to vaccines.nh.gov to make an appointment and check availability.

NH HWCA

NH Healthcare Workers for Climate Action, which is open to all clinical and non-clinical health care workers, officially launched with an event on Dec. 4, promoting its mission to increase awareness and knowledge of the impact of climate on health among health care workers. According to a press release, the members of this grassroots nonprofit organization will get support and tools to “educate and activate colleagues, patients and family members, community members and policy makers in support of climate solutions to improve the health of all, particularly the most vulnerable among us.” The group’s first direct action was sending a letter — signed by 19 health care associations and almost 600 New Hampshire health care workers — to the state’s elected officials about the science behind the impact of climate on physical and mental health and stressing the need for urgent action.

Roadside parking

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation is reminding hikers, skiers, snowmobilers and other backcountry users that anyone who leaves a vehicle on the side of the road unattended may be risking having their vehicle towed. According to a press release, the DOT and contract plow drivers often work in low-visibility conditions, making it hard to see vehicles on the side of the road. This puts people in the vehicles at risk and delays snow removal operations due to needed repairs or replacement of the plow equipment. When a vehicle impacts snow removal, police will be called to check on it and determine what action is taken, which may include a ticket or the vehicle being towed, the release said.

Free ride

For the rest of December, all stops along Manchester Transit Authority’s Route 8 will be offered free of charge. According to a press release, this tradition began during the holiday season in 2018. The Route 8 service starts at 5:30 a.m., and the last return to downtown Manchester is 6:25 p.m. It offers 30-minute frequency, eight times a day on the hour from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the release. It makes 13 regular loop stops: the Downtown Manchester Doubletree Hotel, Michaels/Burlington Coat Factory Plaza on South Willow Street, Walmart on Gold Street, the Mall of New Hampshire, South Willow Street and downtown Manchester. MTA is encouraging people to use its app, RouteShout 2.0, to get bus arrival time and bus location in real time.

Michelle Xiggoros of Concord and Catherine McArthur of Pelham won $5,000 during the Dec. 2 Double Diamond Spectacular second-chance drawing at the Filotimo Casino & Restaurant in Manchester, according to a press release. The big prize — $1 million — went to Maine resident Beatrice Paisley, and the other two semifinalists each won $1,000. All players who claimed a $1,000 prize from the $20 Double Diamond Spectacular scratch ticket were eligible to enter the semifinalist drawing, the release said.

It seems Queen City residents really like their lights! On Dec. 6, the Manchester Transit Authority added four new times for its free holiday lights Trolley Tours — and as with the first announcement, those time slots were filled within hours. “We saw an overwhelming response,” Mayor Joyce Craig said in a press release. “I’m so grateful to everyone at MTA who worked to double the amount of tours families can take to see the holiday lights displays across Manchester.”

The United Way of Greater Nashua will be presenting gifts of gratitude to St. Joseph Hospital and Southern New Hampshire Health on Dec. 10, according to a press release. The gifts are tokens of appreciation for the work being done by community health care workers and will include gift cards, hand-written greeting cards and artwork designed by students from Nashua schools.

Intergenerational ties

I find being one of my family’s elders a bit unsettling. Sure, I already embraced the gray hair. But until this year I always had someone more experienced with whom to discuss parenting, career, home ownership, the news, family history, my dreams. We didn’t necessarily think alike, but my parents and in-laws listened and shared their stories.

One thing my mother-in-law taught me was how to cook the family’s favorite Lebanese dishes. You might think she learned the recipes growing up, but her family was Portuguese, not Lebanese. Like me, she learned how to make “kibbeh” and “fatayer” after marrying into the tribe. “Kibbeh is meatloaf,” she said, “only nicer.” It’s made with ground lamb, bulgur, pine nuts and allspice. My husband and his brothers like to prove their heritage by eating their kibbeh “nayee” (raw) and telling the rest of us we’re wimps for preferring it “sineyee” (baked). Before baking, you drizzle olive oil over the loaf, draw criss-crossed lines on the surface, and poke a deep hole in the middle with your finger. When I asked why, my mother-in-law said, “Because my mother-in-law did.”

I cherish the morsels of culture that I got from my in-laws, as well as those from my own Scottish-English parents. During the pandemic, I contemplated learning to play a bagpipe, but that is a particularly inappropriate instrument to take up when family members are working at home. I content myself with humming the Skye Boat Song and being able to recognize MacDonald tartans at the Highland Games. What I really value, though, is the feeling of being part of something bigger than ourselves.

You don’t have to be related to get the benefits of intergenerational relationships. For older people, they include a sense of purpose and self-esteem. For younger people, they can provide mentorship, opportunities for meaningful service, and increased perspective and empathy. Studies show both generations are happier and more hopeful. People are now exploring how to move from the separatist practices of the last 30 years — like 55+ housing developments — to intergenerational collaborations such as residences for “grandfamilies” and community reading programs. Sara Zeff Geber, Ph.D., writing in Forbes, discusses inventive organizations such as Generations United and Seniors4Seniors. In New Hampshire, AARP age-friendly communities are re-thinking everything from health to transportation, including zoning changes that could help with one of the most significant issues for young people and businesses: workforce housing.

As my family comes together for the holidays, I hope to keep both the old traditions and the sharing of new ideas alive. Baking fatayer — doughy, little, tri-cornered meat pies oozing a creamy yogurt sauce — ought to help.

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