Tag: 211230

The Art Roundup 21/12/30

The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities

• Nashua arts venue gets an official name: The performing arts venue currently under construction in downtown Nashua formerly known as the Nashua Performing Arts Center has been renamed the Nashua Center for the Arts, Nashua Community Arts announced in a press release. The new name was chosen by a local anonymous donor who gave $1 million to the venue. “The center will be home to much more than theatrical and musical performances,” Nashua Community Arts board member Phillip Scontsas said in the release. “It will be hosting films, a variety of attractions like celebrity chefs and reality TV stars, recitals, and competitions … and art exhibitions in the gallery.”

• Last call for holiday art: There’s still time to check out these holiday art exhibits.

“Small Works — Big Impact,” the annual holiday exhibit at Creative Ventures Gallery (411 Nashua St., Milford), is going on now through Friday, Dec. 31, in person at the gallery 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. Visit creativeventuresfineart.com or call 672-2500.

The New Hampshire Art Association’s holiday exhibition, “Let it Snow,” is upat the Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth) now through Sunday, Jan. 2. It includes works in a variety of media, as well as books and cards for sale. Gallery hours are Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

Painting by Heather Morgan, featured in “The Dysfunction of Social Practice” exhibit at Kimball Jenkins Estate. Courtesy photo.

• Theater auditions: Manchester-based Cue Zero Theatre Co. is looking for actors for two upcoming shows. Auditions for the March production of Deadly will be held on Sunday, Jan. 2, from 3 to 6 p.m., and Monday, Jan. 3, from 7 to 10 p.m., with callbacks on Wednesday, Jan. 5, in the evening. Deadly is a nine-person ensemble theater piece that uses movement in nine parts to explore the modern-day seven deadly sins. Auditions for the April production of Puffs! Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic, a comedy about students at a magic school, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 16, and Monday, Jan. 17, from 7 to 10 p.m., with callbacks on Tuesday, Jan. 18, from 7 to 10 p.m. All auditions will take place in person at Granite State Arts Academy (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem). All performers must be at least 18 years old and must fill out an audition form online and sign up for a time slot in advance. Visit cztheatre.com or email [email protected].

• Exhibits at the Mansion: The Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord) has two exhibitions up now through Jan. 14. “Salon 2021,” on view in the Carolyn Jenkins Gallery in the Carriage House, 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,” on view in the Jill C. Wilson Gallery in the Kimball Jenkins Mansion, is a collaboration between Kimball Jenkins and Manchester art gallery Kelley Stelling Contemporary, featuring paintings, sculpture and performance works by New Hampshire artists Zach Dewitt, Emmett Donlon, Rosemary Mack, Heather Morgan and Meghan Samson. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with evening and weekend visits available by request. Visit kelleystellingcontemporary.com and kimballjenkins.com, or call 225-3932.

Natural elements

The New Hampshire Art Association has an exhibition, “Impressions: Nature,” featuring the work of Allenstown artist Daniela Edstrom, on view now through Feb. 17 at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center (49 S. Main St., Concord). Edstrom’s art explores the abstract qualities of light, form and color found in the New England landscape. “Sunlight and its play of light and shadow is perceived as halos of vibrating strokes and bold minimalist shapes,” the artist said in a press release. “Elements such as leaves, trees – the organic aspects of the woodland environment – are seen in emphatic primary colors and highlighted by gestural marks of rich complementary hues.” Gallery hours at the Chamber are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All works are for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230.

ART

Exhibits

• “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.

• “LET IT SNOW” The New Hampshire Art Association presents its holiday exhibition. Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery (136 State St., Portsmouth). Now through Jan. 2. Features works in a variety of media, as well as books and cards for sale. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org.

• EMILY NOELLE LAMBERT Solo exhibition by New York City artist Emily Noelle Lambert. Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester). On view now through Jan. 9. Masks required inside the gallery. Visit anselm.edu/dana-center-humanities or call 641-7700.

• “THE DYSFUNCTION OF SOCIAL PRACTICE” Kelley Stelling Contemporary presents an exhibition featuring paintings, sculpture and performance works by five New Hampshire artists. Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord). Now through Jan. 14. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with evening and weekend visits available by request. Visit kelleystellingcontemporary.com.

• “SALON 2021” Exhibition features offbeat and experimental works in a variety of media by regional artists with diverse studio practices and artistic approaches. The Kimball Jenkins Estate (266 N. Main St., Concord, 225-3932, kimballjenkins.com). Now through Jan. 14. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with evening and weekend visits available by request.

• “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.

Tours

• NASHUA PUBLIC ART AUDIO TOUR Self-guided audio tours of the sculptures and murals in downtown Nashua, offered via the Distrx app, which uses Bluetooth iBeacon technology to automatically display photos and text and provides audio descriptions at each stop on the tour as tourists approach the works of art. Each tour has 10 to 15 stops. Free and accessible on Android and iOS on demand. Available in English and Spanish. Visit downtownnashua.org/nashua-art-tour.

Workshops and classes

• WINTER ART CLASSES Art classes for teens and adults, including Pottery, Stained Glass, Intermediate Watercolor and Clay Hand Building. Studio 550 Art Center (550 Elm St., Manchester). Five-week sessions. Classes met for two hours a week. Call 232-5597 or visit 550arts.com for the full schedule and cost details.

• GENERAL ART CLASSES In-person art classes for all levels and two-dimensional media. held with small groups of two to five students. Private classes are also available. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Students are asked to wear masks in the gallery. Tuition costs $20 per group class and $28 per private class, with payment due at the beginning of the class. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.

• DRAWING & PAINTING CLASSES Art House Studios, 66 Hanover St., Suite 202, Manchester. Classes include Drawing Fundamentals, Painting in Acrylic, Drawing: Observation to Abstraction, Exploring Mixed Media, and Figure Drawing. Class sizes are limited to six students. Visit arthousestudios.org.

THEATER

Shows

• 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.

Classical

• NEW YEAR’S EVE CHAMPAGNE POPS The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra presents its New Year’s Eve concert. The Music Hall Historic Theater (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth). Fri., Dec. 31, at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $38. Visit themusichall.org or call 436-2400.

Arts alive! (really)

Theater and art groups rally in 2021

Well, it was better than 2020 — that’s the sentiment that many in the art community had about 2021, as they continued to try to evolve among the ebbs and flows of the pandemic.

“All arts organizations have faced tremendous challenges in bringing live performances and art experiences to the public,” Alan Chong, Director of the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, said. “We have all learned to adapt and be flexible.”

Here’s how some artistic groups fared in 2021, and a look at what they think 2022 might bring.

Art

For some organizations, 2021 meant bringing back some sorely missed in-person events. The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, for example, was able to hold its annual fair in Sunapee, with a few modifications that prioritized social distancing.

“We were really delighted that the fair was a total success and people felt comfortable coming,” said Miriam Carter, executive director of the League.

Carter said the artists did very well, with an increase in sales from $2.35 million in 2019 — the last time the fair was held in person — to $2.74 million in 2021.

“People came ready to buy,” Carter said. “It was incredibly heartening.”

The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester has faced financial challenges from being closed for most of 2020 and much of 2021, according to Chong, but it was able to reopen in 2021 with a special exhibition called “The Body in Art,” which looked at images of nudes from different perspectives, like gender, culture and time period.

“The museum also acquired a second house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright just before the pandemic,” Chong said. “We were so happy to be able to open both houses to the public in 2021.”

The museum is now offering free admission for all on Thursday nights, with live music, tours and refreshments.

Joni Taube, owner of Art 3 gallery, also re-opened her studio to the public this year, changing her hours to 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with other times open by appointment. Taube, who does art design consulting for individuals and businesses, said that at the beginning of the pandemic she had to adapt how she showed the work in her gallery by hosting virtual show openings, and that has continued in 2021 because her space is too small for gatherings. She said she may have 70 to 80 artists showing at one time, with the majority of the works being paintings, along with some glass, ceramics and metal pieces. In working with so many artists, Taube has heard a range of reactions to the pandemic.

“Artists are doing more experimenting because they’re in their studios all the time now,” she said. “Some are frustrated because the galleries are closed. Many of them have way too much work in their studios that they’d like to find an outlet for. … Some are hunkered down and painting and happy. … I think that’s how a lot of them coped.”

Taube said she thinks it has been difficult financially for artists, which is one of the reasons she started posting work online.

“You try different things for them [like] social media [and putting] shows online so the artists feel like their work is getting exposure,” she said.

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen was able to reopen its smaller galleries, and Carter said the artists who display their work there have been well-supported by the public.

“Shopping local has really started to stick,” Carter said. “There seems to be a mindset to support the local talent. … [I think] that’s a direct impact of Covid.”

Looking ahead, Carter said the League is already preparing for the 2022 fair and will be ready to adapt if needed.

“At headquarters we’re really excited to be returning to opening our exhibition gallery, [which has been] closed since [the start of the pandemic],” she said.

The gallery will open Jan. 20 with a three-day exhibition of Art & Bloom by the Concord Garden Club. It will then open for regular hours starting Jan. 25 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. A new exhibition called “Setting the Standard,” featuring new work from League jurors in all media areas, will be on display at that time.

At the Currier, Chong said they’re watching the omicron variant situation carefully and will make decisions based on keeping the community safe.

“We are continuing to push experiences [like] remote art classes and educational resources,” Chong said.

A new exhibition featuring the work of Arghavan Khosravi is scheduled to open in April, according to Chong, and the Currier will also be showing Warhol Screen Tests: “short film snippets made in the 1960s that prefigure our selfie culture,” he said.

Art 3 Gallery currently has a show that will be up for another few weeks called “Artful Escapes.”

Taube is hoping to have some in-person opening receptions next year but knows that as with this year, everything can change at any time.

“I don’t know what 2022 is going to bring,” she said. “I’m hoping that people start coming out more and looking again at art, thinking about spaces, decor and how they want to live and have an appreciation of what people go through in terms of forming a piece of artwork.”

Theater

Still reeling from a huge loss of income after the months-long shutdowns in 2020, New Hampshire performance companies and venues spent 2021 recuperating and trying to regain some stability.

Salvatore Prizio, who became the Executive Director of the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord last fall, said financial difficulty is the biggest challenge to come with his new position.

“One of the major issues CCA and all performing arts centers are facing now is getting back on their feet [financially],” he told the Hippo in November. “They have a lot of fiscal issues from being shut down for months.”

As restrictions on public gatherings were eased, many performance companies and venues saw an opportunity to increase revenue by expanding their programming options as much as possible, to accommodate people with all levels of Covid safety concerns.

“New Hampshire Theatre Project moved to a variety of alternative formats last year, including livestream and on-demand programming as well as in-person and outdoor performances,” said Genevieve Aichele, executive director of the Portsmouth-based company, which had lost 75 percent of its income in 2020, according to Aichele.

The Hatbox Theatre in Concord reopened with its first in-person mainstage production of the year in early summer. With masks required and seats distanced, the venue was able to operate at around 85 percent capacity.

“[Having in-person shows] enables us to … get to a point where productions not only break even but might actually come out ahead a little for their next production,” theater owner and operator Andrew Pinard told the Hippo in June.

Manchester-based Cue Zero Theatre Company was one of a number of local companies and venues that utilized a hybrid format for its performances, allowing people to attend in person or watch from home via livestream.

“Being able to offer streaming alongside the in-person performances created new opportunities for us to reach both a wider audience as well as keep our local audiences feeling safe and comfortable,” Cue Zero artistic director Dan Pelletier said, adding that the company “had a successful 2021, all things considered.”

The New Hampshire theater community also took time in 2021 to celebrate the technology and experimental forms of performance that have kept them going through the pandemic.

“The pandemic has truly redefined the way theater artists make work,” said Matt Cahoon, artist director of Theatre Kapow in Manchester. “We feel very fortunate to have found ways to innovate.”

Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative in Laconia, for example, teamed up with the Community Players of Concord in April to host a Zoom Play Festival, featuring a series of new short plays by New Hampshire playwrights, written specifically for performance over the Zoom video chat platform; and the theme of New Hampshire Theatre Project’s annual Storytelling Festival, held in the spring virtually and in person in Portsmouth, was “What Are You Waiting For?” — a theme inspired, Aichele said, by the innovation of the arts community during the pandemic.

“It’s a new world; we can’t do art the way we used to,” Aichele told the Hippo in April, “so why not use Covid as an opportunity to reinvent ourselves? What are we waiting for? That’s really what these stories are about — not waiting to act or make a change.”

Heading into the new year, performance companies and venues are hopeful that they can continue to present shows in person, but are at the ready to go fully virtual again, should restrictions on public gatherings be reinstated.

“We are well aware that we may need to return to virtual performances at some point in the future, but truly feel prepared to make that transition if need be,” Cahoon said, adding that Theater Kapow is “also working hard to incorporate many of the lessons we have learned and the technology we have acquired into our in-person performances.”

Some companies and venues have had so much success with their virtual programming that they plan to offer it, in addition to their in-person programming, indefinitely, regardless of the Covid situation.

“Digital media … is going to be a long-term component of performing arts centers,” Prizio told the Hippo in November. “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.”

Many theater directors are optimistic about the future of community theater, even in the face of uncertainty.

“2021 brought new challenges, but also new opportunities, and we are a stronger company because of it,” said Rob Dionne, artistic director of Majestic Theatre in Manchester. “We are looking forward to seeing our audiences grow again in 2022.”

“We know the challenges of Covid are not going away,” Pelletier added, “but we look forward to traversing them with our audiences into a new landscape where we can continue to create our brand of theater and art.”

Things to look forward to in 2022

ART
• “Setting the Standard”: A new exhibition at League of New Hampshire Craftsmen headquarters in Concord that will feature new work from League jurors in all media areas will be open to guests Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 4 p.m. starting Jan. 25. Visit nhcrafts.org.
• Arghavan Khosravi exhibition: The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester will host an exhibition featuring the work of Arghavan Khosravi, “an immensely talented artist whose challenging images have a striking surrealist quality,” according to museum director Alan Chong. The opening date will be announced soon. Visit currier.org.

THEATER
• The Majestic Academy of Dramatic Arts presents a Young Performers’s Edition of The Wizard of Oz at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry), with showtimes on Friday, Jan. 28, and Saturday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for seniors age 65 and up and $10 for students age 17 and under. Call 669-7469 or visit majestictheatre.net.
• Glass Dove Productions presents Mary and Me at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord) from Jan. 28 through Feb. 13. The original play by Irene Kelleher, inspired by a true story, follows a pregnant 15-year-old girl and her search for understanding while growing up in 1986 Ireland. Tickets cost $22 for adults and $19 for seniors and students. Visit hatboxnh.com or call 715-2315.
• The Riverbend Youth Company will perform The Lion King Jr. at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford), with showtimes on Friday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 5, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 6, at 2:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale in early January. Visit amatocenter.org/riverbend-youth-company.
• Cue Zero Theatre Co. presents Deadly, an original movement-based theater piece by Crystal Rose Welch, at Granite State Arts Academy (19 Keewaydin Drive, No. 4, Salem), with showtimes Friday, March 4, through Sunday, March 6. With a nine-person ensemble, Deadly uses movement to explore the modern-day seven deadly sins. Visit cztheatre.com
• The Franklin Footlight Theatre presents a production of Little Women at the Franklin Opera House (316 Central St., Franklin) with showtimes on Thursday, March 10, through Saturday, March 12, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 13, at 2 p.m. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s classic 1869 novel, the play follows the adventures of four sisters living with their mother in Massachusetts while their father is fighting in the Civil War. Tickets cost $16 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Visit franklinoperahouse.org or call 934-1901.
• The Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) presents a mainstage production of Bye Bye Birdie from March 11 through April 3. The musical comedy, set in 1958 small-town America, centers around teen heartthrob Conrad Birdie, who has been drafted into the Army and announces that he will give one girl from his fan club a goodbye-kiss before reporting for duty. Tickets range from $25 to $46. Visit palacetheatre.org or call 668-5588.

Featured Photo: Untitled by Arghavan Khosravi. Courtesy photo.

This Week 21/12/30

Big Events December 30, 2021 and beyond

Thursday, Dec. 30

Looking to get outside? Check out the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford; theeducationalfarm.org, 472-4724), which is open daily from dawn to dusk. Find trail information online. When the weather is cold enough, the farm’s rink will be open for ice skating. The cost is $5.

Or head to one of New Hampshire Audubon’s 39 sanctuaries for hiking (or snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, weather permitting). Find trails for the sanctuaries, which are open from dawn to dusk and located throughout the state, at nhaudubon.org.

Thursday, Dec. 30

The light shows continue through this weekend: The Gift of Lights at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1122 Route 106 North, Loudon), runs daily through Sunday, Jan. 2. The 2½-mile drive-thru light show features a variety of scenes making up more than 500 different light displays along the track. It’s open from 4:30 to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 4:30 to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, depending on weather conditions. The cost ranges from $30 to $35 per carload, and is $60 per limo or bus. See nhms.com.

LaBelle Lights also continues at LaBelle Winery’s Derry location (14 Route 111) now through Feb. 26. See page 26 for details.

Friday, Dec. 31

Rock in the new year with The Apathetics (playing the Boston Billiard Club in Nashua) or get in a last laugh at 2021 with Bob Marley (who has three shows tonight at the Flying Monkey in Plymouth) or head to the Derryfield in Manchester for the music of Chad LaMarsh and a Champagne toast at midnight. Find a rundown of the live music slated at area restaurants in this week’s Music This Week listing, which starts on page 60; find comedians in the Comedy This Week listing on page 58. For a more detailed rundown of New Year’s Eve events, look for Michael Witthaus’ stories in the Dec. 23 issue about comedy (page 36) and music (page 38). You can find the e-edition of the issue at hippopress.com.

Saturday, Jan. 1

Start 2022 off with some opera. The Metropolitan Opera’s live broadcast of Cinderella will screen at Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord; ccanh.com) today at 12:55 p.m. Tickets cost $26 for adults, $22 for seniors and $15 for students (plus fees).

Sunday, Jan. 2

Keep the New Year’s celebration going with Hogmanay, an event by NHSCOT (presenters of New Hampshire’s annual Highland Games), today from 3 to 7 p.m. at Derryfield Country Club in Manchester. The evening features indoor and outdoor events; tickets are $42 for adults (buffet-style meal included) and $20 for kids (includes chicken and french fries). See nhscot.org and check out Meghan Siegler’s story about the plans, including Scottish country dancing and music by The Rebel Collective on page 10 of the Dec. 23 issue of the Hippo.

Save the date! Jan. 28, 2022

The end of January heats up at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) with the presentation of The Full Monty, the Broadway musical based on the 1997 film of the same name. The show’s opening night is Jan. 28 and it runs through Sunday, Feb. 20, with shows Fridays through Sundays (as well as on Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m.) Tickets cost $46 for adults.

Featured photo: The Full Monty. Courtesy photo.

Quality of Life 21/12/30

Messy roads for Christmas

Hundreds of crashes and several major road closures on Christmas morning put a damper on some people’s holiday plans. According to a report from WMUR, portions of Interstates 93 and 89 were closed, and there was a 15-car crash on the Everett Turnpike. Plow crews worked around the clock, mainly salting and sanding, but the air temperature, the road temperatures and the rain that was freezing on contact made it difficult to keep the roads clear until temperatures warmed up somewhat mid-day, according to the report.

Score: -1

Comment: Being involved in a car crash on Christmas Day is a bummer, but at least no major injuries were reported. Here’s hoping for safer travels on New Year’s Eve!

Money for mental health and more

The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester, which was Millennium Running’s “Official Charity of 2021,” will receive $16,943 from the $126,760 in proceeds and fundraising that Millennium’s events raised this year, while the remaining funds will go to more than 50 other organizations, according to a press release. “Mental health has never been more important than over the past year and a half,” Millennium Running owner and founder John Mortimer said in the release. “We are so happy that our running community was able to support the mission of The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester.” Millennium raised more money for local charities this year than ever before.

Score: +1

Comment: Some of Millennium Running’s signature events had specific charitable partners; the CMC Manchester City Marathon, for example, raised $11,446 for Veterans Count while the BASC Santa Claus Shuffle raised $6,199 for the Safe Sports Network.

Local art students represent

Students from the National Junior Art Honor Society at Rundlett Middle School in Concord were chosen to create ornaments for New Hampshire’s Christmas tree at the Presidents’ Park in Washington, D.C. According to a report from NHPR, it’s an annual tradition for decorated trees representing all U.S. states and territories to be placed in the space in front of the White House, and Rundlett’s students drew ornament-sized illustrations that answered the question “What makes your state beautiful?”

Score: +1

Comment: Some of the illustrations included a covered bridge with mountains in the background and a fall tree with colorful leaves, the report said. Way to represent New Hampshire!

Thousands of toys

The Front Door Agency’s annual Holiday Program provided toys, warm clothing and groceries for nearly 500 children in need, thanks to the support of hundreds of individuals and local businesses and organizations. According to a press release, thousands of gifts filled the ballroom of the Courtyard by Marriott in Nashua.

Score: +1

Comment: “It’s sad that so many kids need help this year, but I’m happy I can help even in a small way,” 12-year-old Jack Murphy, who volunteered to move donated gifts into the ballroom so they could be organized by family, said in the release.

QOL score at the end of 2020: 76

QOL score at the end of 2021: 88

Net change: +12

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

Biggest stories of 2021

In a year of weird and wild sports stories here are the top ones as I see it.

Covid-19: It’s still here nearly two years after the then-president said, “it’ll just go away,” and now thanks to the omicron variant it’s surging to cause havoc for teams and games in all sports. As cases ebbed after vaccinations started, fans came back to capacity as if they were saying enough is enough, I want my life back!

Tiger Woods car accident: The “great” part of Tiger’s scary accident is it didn’t end the life of an athlete it seemed we knew, like Kobe Bryant, his daughter and the others in the helicopter. But this still shook up the golf world, even though it’s not the first time Tiger has made headlines behind the wheel. But, while the injuries were catastrophic, there he was on the course with son Charlie playing last week at the PNC Championship. While his time at the top has mostly been over since the first time he was knocked unconscious behind the wheel, it was a nice sight to see that he and his family will have more of these moments.
Tom Brady wins after leaving New England: Tom Brady winning another Super Bowl isn’t the biggest part of the story. It’s the way he’s pushing back at Father Time to play at 44. I knew he could still win in the right situation (which New England wasn’t in 2020) because of his giant brain. But I didn’t see a second best in his career 40 TD passes coming, which he’ll likely repeat this year. And when you compare it to how TB’s great rival Peyton Manning was in his final year it seems even more remarkable.

Phil Mickelson oldest to win a major: This story overlaps with the last two as it offers a debate over which is the greater old geezer achievement, along with the irony of Phil hitting an all-time career height in the same year his rival saw his chances for a career revival ended. Not sure if winning the PGA at 50 years, 11 months and three days was the most satisfying of his six majors, but it did take him past 48-years-old-but-looked-68 Julius Boros for the record. A final reminder of how great a career PM has had.
Money lust in college football: The players are better and games still exciting. But the lust for money is bigger than ever. Texas and Oklahoma are hardly the first schools to do it, but they screwed their Big 12 partners by announcing they’ll soon join the geographically incorrect South-EAST Conference. All of which requires much more time away from class for their, ah, student-athletes. They’ll do it for the lucrative benefits of course, as college football careens toward being just one big football conference. It ended with slimy ex-Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly walking out on a team and his players for a second time before a season-ending bowl game to get a jump on recruiting at LSU. Of course, be careful what you wish for, as he replaces Ed Orgeron less than two years after he won a national title for the Tigers. Ditto for Les Miles before him.

Summer Olympics: I generally have little interest in the “hey, look at me” marketing fest now known as the Olympics. Though I’m in the minority. But with Covid infections rising in Japan as the games approached it seemed more irrelevant than usual. Especially when the biggest newsmaker was gymnast Simone Biles pulling out to deal with mental health issues. Which of course ignited a massive social media commentary in support and from the “are you kidding me” crowd.

Jon Gruden email scandal: You know it’s bad when you get fired because of an investigation you had nothing to do with. That was Jon Gruden’s world when his emails turned up in the investigation of the WFT. You could hear Arnold saying “hasta la vista, baby” to the career and last six years on his 10-year $100 million contract.

Urban warfare: To (somehow) outpace Gruden as our first winner of the Bobby Petrino Bonehead Coach of the Year award you’d have to do every on- and off-field stupid thing a coach could do, and amazingly Urban Meyer did it, all during a disastrous 13-game stint in Jacksonville. 

Tampa Bay sports capital: Brady led the usually moribund Bucs to win a SB title, and the Lightning are two-time Stanley Cups champs. So if the D-Rays stat geeks hadn’t yanked unhittable Blake Snell with a 1-hit, 12-K shutout in progress in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series vs. L.A. because the analytics said to, TB would have had reigning champs in three sports all year.

Shohei Ohtani takes on The Babe: He was the first full-time pitcher and hitter since the Babe in 1919. The big difference was Shohei pitched and DH’d, while Babe had to throw from the outfield. But the numbers were eerily similar. Ohtani had more homers (46-29) and was 9-2 to Babe’s 9-5. Babe had more RBI (113-100), outhit him .322 to .257 and took the ERA battle 2.93 to 3.13. It made Ohtani Player of the Year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo game for the ages: I drooled over this enough when it happened. So I’ll just add that seeing the Big Fella go for 51 points and 17 rebounds while battling a significant knee injury was the best “climb on my back and I’ll take you home” effort of the year. That their final was against the Suns, who also entered the NBA in 1968, and it was the Bucks’ first title in 52 years made it cooler.

Life on the lam

Manchester author chronicles his years as fugitive

Jorge William Nayor of Manchester discusses his memoir, Dinosaur in the Park: Adventure Behind the Walls and Inside the Criminal Mind.

What is Dinosaur in the Park about?

It’s about my life growing up and the things I went through, good times and bad times, good places and bad places. It covers my time in the military, the times when I used to build race cars, my problems with drug possession and drug dealing and my time spent behind bars. Then, it’s about how, later on in life, I came out to New England, where I [lived as] a fugitive for 20 years. … I turned my life around and got on the straight and narrow. … I turned myself in and served out the rest of my term … [which was] one year … then came back to New Hampshire and went into video production and had my own remote television production company.

What were the circumstances that led to you being a fugitive?

I was in prison for a parole violation, so when my time [served] for that was up, they were ready to release me, but they didn’t know that there was actually another warrant out for me. They let me out by mistake. … I was in California at that time. I contacted some people I knew who knew a lady in New England … I could stay with … so I took off to New England.

Why did you turn yourself in?

When my mother was dying, it was her dying wish that I turn myself in, so I did, gladly, for her. … Nobody was looking for me, and there was no active warrant out for me in New Hampshire, but it was the right thing to do. … I only had one year left on my sentence, so I was hoping the judge would just say, ‘Time served,’ especially because for the 20 years that I was gone, I didn’t get in any kind of trouble, not even a traffic ticket. However, the judge had other ideas, and I had to go back for a year.

Why did you return to New Hampshire after your release?

The woman I stayed with when I moved here … didn’t know about my shady past [at first]. We eventually became boyfriend and girlfriend. … When I had to go back [to prison], she stuck with me the whole time. She stayed in contact with me every day. After I was released legitimately, I came back to New Hampshire for her, and we got married. … She was an English teacher, so she helped me a lot with my writing. She passed away in June of 2020, and I’m still grieving over that.

Why did you decide to write a memoir?

There are a lot of books and movies about life behind bars that are all about violence and gangs and stabbings and prison breaks. My story is unique, because it wasn’t like that for me. … I feel that I’m a good person on the inside, and a lot of people get the idea that people who are in prison are not [good people], so I wanted to show people that the atmosphere in prison isn’t always violent. … I didn’t have to keep one eye open and be looking over my shoulder all the time. The people [in prison] like me — the older people and people who are [incarcerated] for nonviolent crimes — were just regular guys.

What is the meaning behind the book’s title?

I called it Dinosaur in the Park because I’m an old dinosaur — it’s my birthday today — I’m 74. … I would often ride my bicycle over to Livingston Park [in Manchester] and do some of my writing there, so Dinosaur in the Park just clicked.

What are you up to these days?

I’m starting to write a second book that will take off from the middle of [Dinosaur in the Park]. It’s fiction … and shows an alternate path — what would happen if the main character, me, hadn’t come to New Hampshire, hadn’t gotten on the right foot, and had kept on his trail of criminal activity?

Featured photo: Jorge William Nayor. Courtesy photo.

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