• The Nashua Public Library and the Greater Nashua Smart Start Coalition are holding an Early Childhood Fair on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to noon, at Greeley Park on Concord Street in Nashua. The day will include a performance by children’s musician Mr. Aaron, storytelling by Uncle Bobby, storytimes with Nashua area libraries and representatives from local agencies with resources for kids (such as Beaver Brook Association, NH Hunger Solutions, Constellations Behavioral Health Services, area libraries, Little Pilgrim School, UNH Cooperative Extension: Nutrition Connections and more), according to a press release. Contact the library at 603-589-4631 or [email protected] for more information.
A week of storytimes
• Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in downtown Manchester; bookerymht.com) has multiple storytimes in the upcoming week, starting with a reading of Lobstah Gahden: Speaking Out Against Pollution with a Wicked Awesome Boston Accent! by Alli Brydon and illustrated by EG Keller on Saturday, April 23, at 11:30 a.m. This special Earth Day storytime will also include a recycled water bottle lobster craft. On Monday, April 25, at 10 a.m. the book will be Just Be Jelly and the craft will be a jellyfish. On Wednesday, April 27, the 10 a.m. storytime will feature Eddy the Manchester Police Department’s comfort pony. On Thursday, April 28, at 10 a.m., the story will be Ada and the Galaxies and the craft will be a galaxy jar. On Friday, April 29, at 10 a.m. the storytime will focus on Ralph Baer, the Manchester-based father of video games. And be sure to save the date for Saturday, April 30, which is Independent Bookstore Day.
See the show
• As of April 18, tickets are still available to Peppa Pig’s Adventure, a live show based on the popular cartoon, at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, April 22, at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $39 through $59; a $50 VIP add-on gets you a post-show photo experience.
And speaking of beloved characters: Dog Man: The Musical, based on the comics of George and Harold (in the books by Dav Pilkey), a live musical about the titular hero, will come to the Cap Center on Saturday, May 14, with shows at 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets cost $15 per person or you can get a family four-pack for $50.
Museum outing
Looking for an activity during April vacation? Here are the operating hours of area museums.
• The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m., admission is free as part of the Art After Work programming, when the museum features live music, tours and more (Kevin Horan is slated to perform on Thursday, April 21, and Old Tom and the Lookouts is scheduled for April 28). Otherwise, admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for 65+, $10 for students and $5 for ages 13 to 17 (children under 13 get in free).
• The Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road in Londonderry; aviationmuseumofnh.org) is regularly open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. For vacation week, the museum will also be open Thursday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $10 for 13 and over and $5 for 65+, children ages 6 to 12 and active military and veterans. Children 5 and under get in free and the family maximum is $30.
• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (2 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) is open Tuesdays through Sundays, with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon all six days as well as from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Admission costs $11 per person, $9 for 65+ (no charge for children under 1). (The museum has mask-required and mask-optional sessions; see the website for details.)
The museum will celebrate Earth Day — Friday, April 22 — with special craft activities, a scavenger hunt, a Science Friday project to make a mini window greenhouse (at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.), a project to plant a flower to take home (at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m.) and more.
And little makers may want to save the date now for a Fairy House and Gnome Home Spring Celebration in May. On Saturday, May 7, learn to make a fairy house at a child and adult workshop (the cost is $20 for one pair plus $5 per additional child). On Friday, May 13, bring a homemade fairy house or gnome home to drop off at the museum (or attend the museum to make one there) and then have them added to a display of fairy houses and gnome homes in Henry Law Park and the museum Play Patio. Kids can make houses on-site throughout the weekend, when the museum will host special performances and activities.
• Though normally closed on Mondays, the SEE Science Center (200 Bedford St. in Manchester; see-sciencecenter.org, 669-0400) will be open Monday, April 25, as well as Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Purchase reservations in advance via the website (masks are required for all visitors age 2 and up); admission costs $10 per person ages 3 and up.
• The McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center (2 Institute Drive in Concord; starhop.com, 271-7827) is open daily through Sunday, May 1, from 10:30 a.m. through 4 p.m. There will be four planetarium shows daily, according to the website, which recommends purchasing timed tickets in advance. Admission costs $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for students and seniors and $8.50 for kids ages 3 to 12 (admission is free for children 2 and under; masks required for visitors over the age of 2). Planetarium show tickets cost $5 per person (free for children 2 and under); see the website for the schedule of planetarium shows and for the mask requirements by day.
I came across this miniature school desk that almost fell apart when I picked it up. It was missing most of the original bolts and the remaining ones were loose. It has a little rust on it, but overall it’s in good condition. No information was on it indicating manufacturer or age.
When I brought it to a hardware store to find replacement bolts, people were fascinated with it! One person said sell it on eBay. Any suggestions?
Stephen
Dear Stephen,
My first reaction to selling it online is yikes — I wouldn’t want to pack it for shipping!
Your child’s school desk is not too uncommon to find. It’s from the late 1800s to early 1900s, but there were many. Most bolted to the floor so they seem to be found in OK condition today.
The value ranges from $20 to $75 depending on being in original condition, and some are more desirable than others (like double ones and unusual ones).
I think to find yours a new home, I might try locally and keep the price range under $30. I hope you find it a new home to be used again for a new purpose or decorative display.
I’ve finally had a few days of dry weather with temperature in the 50s, so I have been able to start some spring cleanup. Some of my beds are still too wet, so I will wait on working there until my feet don’t sink in. Walking on wet soil compacts it, ruining soil structure.
My first chore is always to rake up the sand and gravel that the snowplows leave on my lawn. I use a straight-edged shovel that is made of aluminum and is sold for barn cleanup. I rake the sand into the broad shovel, and dump it into a wheelbarrow. If I see that the grass is being pulled up, I wait until later, when the grass has fully woken up.
It’s too late to rake here. I’ll remove leaves by hand to avoid damaging buds. Courtesy photo.
Next on my list is to pick up any downed branches. Winter always does some “pruning” of dead branches. If I can reach any jagged tears where branches have broken off, I snip or saw them back to the trunk or the branch where it originated. And this is a good time to take off those plastic wraps that protect young trees from mice and voles.
I don’t generally rake leaves out of my flower beds in the fall, as I like the extra protection against erosion and cold temperatures they provide. But that means that bulb plants are covered now, and the ground is insulated from the spring sun. I want the soil to warm up. So I try to clean up places where I know there are spring bulbs as early as possible.
If the daffodils are poking through, I use my fingers to pull back the leaves. I fear that a rake will damage the tender stems and flower buds. In other places where bulbs are not up yet, I use a rake and gently rake off the leaves. Sometimes I will bring along a scrap of plywood or a 6-inch plank to stand on as I work, minimizing compaction.
This is when I prune blueberry bushes. By now it is easy to identify the fat, round fruit buds as opposed to the skinny little leaf buds. I remove branches that aren’t producing fruit, allowing for more sunshine to get into my plants.
Blueberry fruit buds are fat, leaf buds are not. Courtesy photo.
For the past few years a foreign fruit fly has badly damaged blueberry crops. The spotted-winged drosophila (SWD) infests ripening fruit, causing it to get mushy and unpleasant. This is in contrast to ordinary, native fruit flies that only lay eggs in over-ripe or rotting fruit.
At present the only way I know that organic growers can prevent damage is to cover bushes with row cover or a very fine mesh. But that is a big bother when it is time to start picking. The SWD appears fairly late in summer, so early-ripening varieties can sometimes avoid them.
Of course if you haven’t cut back all your perennials, spring is a good time to do that. I like to wait until spring to cut back some perennial flowers with seeds. Finches and other seed-eaters enjoy the seeds, particularly when bigger, greedy and aggressive birds or squirrels are hogging the seeds at the feeder.
In the fall I usually do a good job of weeding and mulching the vegetable garden with fallen leaves or straw. In the spring I rake the mulch of my wide raised beds so that the sun can help to dry out and warm up the beds. I leave the mulch in the walkways to inhibit weeds, and later I will add new mulch around my tomatoes and other plants.
My roses haven’t woken up yet, or not by the time I wrote this, but will soon. I have a dozen or more roses and most are very hardy. I particularly like the Knockout rose series. They are very resistant to diseases, do not seem to attract Japanese beetles or rose chafers, and are very vigorous. But each spring I need to cut back the canes to a point where the tissue has not been winter damaged.
You can easily tell if the stems of your roses are alive by rubbing a stem gently with your thumbnail. If it shows green, it is alive. If it is not green, it is dead. Cut back any stem to a place where there is a bud on tissue that is alive. Or you can wait until they leaf out, and cut back the dead parts. If you have a few shoots that got much taller than the rest of the plant, you should cut those back for aesthetic reasons.
Spring is also a good time to pay attention to the “volunteer” shrubs and trees that show up uninvited. There are several invasive species that birds plant seemingly “willy-nilly” anywhere they perch. Seeds pass through them and start growing without your help. But you should pull these shrubs and trees before they get so big you need a backhoe!
Here are some to look for: bush honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), barberry (Berberis thunbergii), burning bush (Euonymus alatus), Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), blunt-leaved privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) and the vine Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) are trees that are also common and invasive.
Why worry about invasives now? They are more obvious in the landscape. Most get a jump on the growing season by putting on leaves while our native plants are still asleep. Plus, you have time now. So go dig them out if you can. Cutting them down usually just stimulates them to set up many new plants from their roots.
Later, when spring warms up, we will be planting our veggies and annual flowers so we won’t have time for many of these activities. So get out there on the next nice day.
Featured photo: This aluminum shovel is lightweight and good for cleanup. Courtesy photo.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• Molten fun: Online registration for the Andres Institute of Art’s Remote Spring Iron Melt is open now through Saturday, April 30. Traditionally, the public has been invited to the Institute’s studio space to create custom designed iron tiles; participants would scratch their design into a 6-by-6-inch sand mold and coat it with a liquid graphite, then watch as molten iron is poured into their molds on site. For the remote event, participants will pick up a mold from the Institute (106 Brookline Road, Hollis) — pickup dates are Thursdays, April 21 and April 28, and Saturdays, April 23 and April 30, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. — and scratch their design at home, then drop off their scratched molds back at the Institute; drop-off dates are the same as pickup dates, plus Thursday, May 5. Designs will be poured at Green Foundry in Maine on Saturday, May 7, and available for pickup on Thursday, May 12, and Saturday, May 14. The cost is $40 per mold, or $30 for AIA members. Visit andresinstitute.org or call 673-7441.
• Make way for … Ja’far?:Twisted: The Untold Story of a Royal Vizier, produced by the Actors Cooperative Theatre, will begin a three-weekend run at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) on Friday, April 22. The show will run through Sunday, May 8, with shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m and Sundays at 2 p.m Tickets cost $22 for adults ($19 for seniors and students). The play is described as a comic rif on the 1990s Aladdin story told from the perspective of Ja’far “a well-intentioned and hardworking official from The Kingdom,” according to a press release (which notes that the play contains “adult language, adult situations … drug references, sexual situations and partial nudity”). The musical is written by some of the same people behind parodies like A Very Potter Musical and The Trail to Oregon, the release said.
Sculptors wanted The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Concord Committee are seeking sculptors for the city’s fifth annual “Art on Main” Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, a year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Professional sculptors age 18 and older (with preference for New England-based sculptors) are invited to submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. The selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend, and their sculptures will be on display and for sale from June 2022 through May 2023 (30 percent commission taken by City of Concord). The deadline for entries is Friday, April 29. To apply, visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].
• Abstract art shown: Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) presents a new exhibit, “Impact! Abstract!,” featuring the work of six local artists, on view now through May 28. The artists include Ann Saunderson, who works in acrylic, mixed media, oil and cold wax and monotype; Daniela Wenzel, who does oil painting, assemblage, ink drawing, driftwood pyrography and improvised quilt-making; Kate Higley, who does printmaking; Ethel Hills, who works in acrylic; and Grace Mattern, who does mixed media collage. “It showcases artists boldly approaching abstraction in completely different ways with a wide variety of media,” Twiggs gallery director Laura Morrison told the Hippo earlier this month. “Most of the artwork in this exhibit is on the smaller side, yet each piece really stands out on its own. It’s very powerful work.” 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.
• Once trash, now fashion: The Upcycled Fashion Show, presented by Makers Mill and the Governor Wentworth Arts Council, will be held on Saturday, April 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Makers Mill (23 Bay St., Wolfeboro). The event invites designers of all ages to create wearable art with at least 75 percent of the materials being recycled, reused or repurposed. “Upcycled fashion is … a great way to experiment artistically and … experiment with style,” featured designer Amelia Bickford told the Hippo last month, adding that the show is “a great opportunity to draw further attention to the tremendous need the world has for recycling and reducing waste.” Tickets for spectators cost $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Visit makersmill.org/blog or call 569-1500.
• Music of love: Symphony New Hampshire presents a concert, “Love’s Dawn,” on Saturday, April 23, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua). The program will feature Claude Debussy’s Petite Suite, Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and Wolfgang Mozart’s Symphony No. 35 in D major, K.385 “Haffner.” Doors open at 6:15 p.m., and there will be a pre-concert talk at 6:30 p.m. and a post-concert reflection approximately 15 minutes after the concert. Masks and proof of vaccination are required for all attendees. Ticket costs range from $20 to $60 for adults, and from $18 to $55 for seniors age 65 and up. Children are admitted for free with paying adults. Visit symphonynh.org or call 595-9156.
Wild Symphony New Hampshire native and bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown will join the University of New Hampshire Wind Symphony for the world premiere of the wind ensemble version of his debut classical work Wild Symphony on Sunday, April 24, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., at the university’s Johnson Theatre (30 Academic Way, Durham). The work is based on the musical album, released in conjunction with a corresponding children’s book of the same name, which pairs short poems and illustrations of animals with classical music. Brown will narrate the book while the symphony performs the music. The event is free, but tickets must be reserved in advance. Visit unh.universitytickets.com.
ART
Exhibits
• “IMPACT! ABSTRACT! Exhibition featuring the abstract work of six local artists, including Ann Saunderson, who works in acrylic, mixed media, oil and cold wax and monotype; Daniela Wenzel, who does oil painting, assemblage, ink drawing, driftwood pyrography and improvised quilt-making; Kate Higley, who does printmaking; Ethel Hills, who works in acrylic; and Grace Mattern, who does mixed media collage. Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen). On view now through May 28. 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.
• “APPEAL OF THE REAL: 19TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD” exhibition features photographs taken throughout the Mediterranean to record the ruins of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display now through June 12. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.
• “WARHOL SCREEN TESTS” In the mid-1960s, American multimedia artist Andy Warhol had shot more than 400 short, silent, black-and-white films of his friends at his studio in New York City. Warhol referred to the films, which were unscripted and played in slow motion, as “film portraits” or “stillies.” The exhibition will feature 20 of those films, provided by the Andy Warhol Museum, in loops across four large-scale projections. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display now through July 3. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.
• “ARGHAVAN KHOSRAVI” Artist’s surrealist paintings explore themes of exile, freedom and empowerment; center female protagonists; and allude to human rights issues, particularly those affecting women and immigrants. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display now through Sept. 5. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.
• “ECHOES: ABSTRACT PAINTING TO MODERN QUILTING” exhibition features abstract paintings inspired by the bold colors, asymmetry, improvisational layout, alternate grid work and negative space in composition of modern quilting. Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St., Contoocook). On display from April 22 through May 14. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372 for more information.
“NATURE AT NIGHT: PAINTINGS BY OWEN KRZYZANIAK GEARY” Two Villages Art Society (46 Main St., Contoocook). On display from May 27 through June 18. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372 for more information.
• ART ON MAIN The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce present a year-round outdoor public art exhibition in Concord’s downtown featuring works by professional sculptors. All sculptures will be for sale. Visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected] for more information.
Calls for submissions
• SCULPTURE SUBMISSIONS The City of Concord and the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Creative Concord Committee are seeking sculptors for the city’s fifth annual “Art on Main” Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, a year-round outdoor public art exhibit set up in Concord’s downtown. Professional sculptors age 18 and older (with preference for New England-based sculptors) are invited to submit up to two original sculptures for consideration. The selected sculptors will receive a $500 stipend, and their sculptures will be on display and for sale from June 2022 through May 2023 (30 percent commission taken by City of Concord). The deadline for entries is Friday, April 29. To apply, visit concordnhchamber.com/creativeconcord, call 224-2508 or email [email protected].
Fairs and markets
• CRAFTSMEN’S FAIR The annual nine-day outdoor craft fair hosted by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen features hundreds of craftspeople with vendor booths, plus special craft exhibitions, demonstrations, hands-on workshops and more. Sat., Aug. 6 through Sun., Aug. 14. Mount Sunapee Resort, 1398 Route 103, Newbury. Call 224-3375 or visit nhcrafts.org for more information.
• CONCORD ARTS MARKET The juried outdoor artisan and fine art market runs one Saturday a month, June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Market dates are June 11, July 30, Aug. 20, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15. Rollins Park, 33 Bow St., Concord. concordartsmarket.net. The first market will be held on Saturday, June 11. Visit concordartsmarket.net/summer-arts-market.html for more information.
Special events
• REMOTE SPRING IRON MELT Participants may pick up a mold from the Institute, scratch their design at home, then drop off their scratched molds back at the Institute. Andres Institute of Art, 106 Brookline Road, Hollis. Pickup dates are Thurs., April 21 and April 28, and Sat., April 23 and April 30, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Drop-off dates are the same as pickup dates, plus Thurs., May 5. Online registration is required and is open now through Sat., April 30. Designs will be poured at Green Foundry in Maine on Saturday, May 7, and available for final pickup on Thursday, May 12, and Saturday, May 14. The cost is $40 per mold, or $30 for AIA members. Visit andresinstitute.org or call 673-7441.
• UPCYCLED FASHION SHOW Presented by Makers Mill and the Governor Wentworth Arts Council. Designers of all ages are invited to create fashion pieces composed of at least 75 percent recycled, reused or repurposed materials. Sat., April 23, from 7 to 9 p.m. Makers Mill (23 Bay St., Wolfeboro). Registration for designers is free and open now through the end of March or until participation is full. Visit makersmill.org/blog or call 569-1500 for more information.
• SPRING OPEN STUDIOS Art Up Front Street Studios & Gallery, 120 Front St., Exeter. The artists’ collective features seven working artist studios. Sat., May 7, and Sun., May 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 418-6286 or visit artupfrontstreet.com for more information.
Workshops and classes
• “BLACKSMITHING BASICS” Beginner level workshop. Sanborn Mills Farm(7097 Sanborn Road, Loudon). Fri., May 20, through Sun., May 22, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The cost is $375. Call 435-7314 or visit sanbornmills.org for more information.
• “INTRO TO 3D PRINTING” Port City Makerspace (68 Morning St., Portsmouth). Wed., June 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $25 for members of the makerspace and $45 for nonmembers. Call 373-1002 or visit portcitymakerspace.com for more information.
• 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.
• 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 or email [email protected] more information.
• GENERAL ART CLASSES Weekly art classes offered for both kids and adults of all skill levels and cover a variety of two-dimensional media, including drawing and painting with pastel, acrylic, watercolor and oils. Classes are held with small groups of three to eight to five students. Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester). Kids classes, open to ages 10 and up, are held on Thursdays and Fridays, from 4:15 to 5:45 p.m. Adult classes are held on Thursdays, from 6:30 to 8:15 p.m., and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tuition is pay-as-you-go at $20 per student per class, due upon arrival. Call 493-1677 or visit dianecrespofineart.com for availability.
THEATRE
Classes/workshops
• STORYTELLING WORKSHOPS Monthly workshop series hosted by True Tales Live storytelling showcase. First Tuesday (except November), from 7 to 8:30 p.m., virtual, via Zoom. Registration is required. Visit truetaleslivenh.org for more information.
Shows
• THE PRODUCERS A mainstage production of the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester). April 22 through May 15, with showtimes on Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon. Tickets cost $39 to $46. Call 668-5588 or visit palacetheatre.org.
• THE RULE OF THREEAn adaptation of Agatha Christie’s one-act murder mystery series, presented by the Majestic Studio Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester). Showtimes are on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, April 24, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $20. Call 669-7469 or visit majestictheatre.net.
When Tracey Dahle Carrier of Bedford created her first illustrations for a kids’ booklet for Bedford Presbyterian Church, it never occurred to her that two decades later those illustrations would be back at the church for a whole different purpose — raising money for Families in Transition via an art auction.
The auction is being held online and in person now through April 30, featuring nearly 50 of Carrier’s original illustrations and artist proofs from her children’s books — she’s illustrated five, including Digby in Disguise.
But the project that started it all was the small booklet she created for the church at the request of her friend and co-author, Ruth Boling.
Copyright and courtesy of Tracey Dahle Carrier.
“The Bedford Presbyterian Church was merging their church service to include children [and the church wanted to create] a booklet to help kids understand the service and what to expect,” said Carrier, who at the time was working from home doing freelance work, illustrating for different companies. “I ended up donating the illustrations and the design.”
Carrier said she wanted to make the booklet attractive to kids, and relatable.
“Kids are squirmy and they’re wiggling around in their seats and making noises,” she said. “I wanted to take the child’s perspective into account.”
So she created characters that have similar qualities: mice.
“Mice are seldom welcome and are squirmy and hard to manage,” Carrier said. “They were the perfect spokespeople for this job.”
The booklet was picked up by Geneva Press, and after it was published, John Knox Press asked for more, similar children’s books from Carrier and Boling.
“It was quite a successful little venture,” Carrier said.
The pair decided that when the first JKP book was released, all proceeds would go to Families in Transition, an organization that the church as well as Carrier and her husband support.
Copyright and courtesy of Tracey Dahle Carrier.
Fast forward 20 years to when Covid hit. Carrier — who is the membership manager at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester — started working from home.
“We had to work extra hard to stay connected to the art-loving community,” she said.
During her lunch breaks, she and her husband would talk about how there were so many in the community who were devastated by Covid, some even unable to pay their rent.
“When I was thinking about what to do [to help], it was hard to know because I couldn’t really get out and about,” she said.
But then she thought back to the donations that she and Boling had made to Families in Transition so many years ago and figured it wouldn’t hurt to approach the church to see if there was a way to help FIT with support from Bedford Presbyterian.
“There are people who might still have some feelings for these mice,” Carrier thought.
The church agreed and suggested they include some of Carrier’s other pieces that she’s illustrated over the years. There’s a poster that she created for the NH Reading Program when its theme was “treasure reading,” so it features mice scrambling off a pirate ship to find books. There are also pieces from Digby in Disguise and Digby Finds a Friend; those books feature a little bear.
There are other animal illustrations too: “There’s a lot of fur in these drawings,” she laughed.
One is a drawing of a black lab, and as with all of her animals, Carrier said she tried to capture its personality and spirit.
“I had a Bernese mountain dog for 12 years, and I was asked by Silent Moon Press to illustrate a book about Bernese mountain dogs,” Carrier said. “I knew [my dog] wasn’t going to be around much longer, so it was a tribute to her.”
Carrier stopped illustrating in 2012, as she was juggling work at the Currier — part-time, at that point — and doing commissioned work for McGowan Fine Arts Gallery in Concord, and teaching at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. When the Currier offered her a full-time position, she took it, and she has been there ever since. She’s thinking about retiring soon, though, and might go back to doing some artwork.
For now, the best chance to see Carrier’s work is at the church or online. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the auction will go to Families in Transition.
“If anyone wants to take a look at the art and see if there’s anything that appeals to them … or if they don’t have a lot of wall space and just want to make a donation, that would be great,” Carrier said.
Art Auction Bidding for Tracey Dahle Carrier’s artwork runs through April 30. All items are on display and can be viewed in person at Bedford Presbyterian Church (4 Church Road in Bedford) during regular office hours Monday through Friday, or find the auction link online at bedfordpresbyterian.org. Call ahead at 472-5841 to arrange viewing times. There is a “Buy Now” option for all pieces to bypass the bidding process, and 100 percent of proceeds will benefit Families in Transition.
Featured photo: Copyright and courtesy of Tracey Dahle Carrier. Courtesy photo.
Whether it’s a newly paved rail trail or a busy downtown street, local city officials, transportation planners and nonprofits have all worked together to make New Hampshire’s roads increasingly more bicycle-friendly. Here’s a look at how biking is getting safer as a regular means of transportation.
Manchester
Last month Jason Soukup of Manchester led the launch of a “bike school bus” pilot program, which encourages city kids in grades K through 12 to ride their bikes to and from school. The route runs the entire length of Elm Street, about four miles each way — now through the end of the school year, kids decked out in high-visibility reflective vests are led by parents and other adult chaperones and volunteers along the street’s bike lanes to school. It’s one of the several initiatives of Manchester Moves, a local nonprofit of which Soukup is the board secretary.
In addition to the bike school bus, Manchester Moves has a lending library program for all kinds of outdoor gear and equipment, including bicycles, which can be borrowed for up to one week.
The “bike school bus” pilot program, which encourages kids to ride their bikes to school. Photo courtesy of Manchester Moves.
“It’s just really cool to imagine a world where kids can ride their bikes to school again, so we’ve been trying to remove the obstacles for that,” said Soukup, whose own kids participate in the program. “I just returned from a trip to Europe … and it’s just a night and day difference the way that bikes go across the cities there compared to here. So we have a big culture shift that needs to happen within New Hampshire and Manchester and we’ll do just about anything we can.”
Manchester Moves works closely with the city’s Department of Public Works, which developed a bicycle master plan about five years ago with input from the city biking community.
“There are bike routes … that the city has been working to label with painted bike lanes,” Soukup said. “They call them sharrows. You see them in the middle of the roads; it’s a white painted lane with a [marking of] a little bike guy on it. That’s called a sharrow, meaning the cars are sharing the road with an arrow that says these are where bikes go.”
Owen Friend-Gray, Manchester DPW’s highway chief engineer, said that bike lanes and sharrows have been added to several of the city’s major roads all within the last couple of years, including multiple sections across Elm Street and Mammoth Road, as well as on both Maple and Beech streets between Bridge and Webster streets toward the North End.
“We also just completed a rail trail project that was just over a mile long to help improve one of the last segments of the Rockingham Rail Trail, which runs from Manchester out to the Seacoast,” Friend-Gray said. “Then we have other trails … that we’re working on parts and pieces of, like the South Manchester Rail Trail, to connect from the southern portion of the city down through Londonderry, Derry and eventually into Nashua … … So we’re doing quite a bit, especially with the rail trails, to try to get better connectivity and rideability throughout the city.”
Concord
In November 2010 the City of Concord released its first bicycle master plan. Craig Tufts of the Central New Hampshire Regional Planning Commission was its chief author.
A Concord resident, Tufts is also co-chair of a bicycling subcommittee through the citywide Transportation Policy Advisory Committee, which met for the first time two years earlier.
The plan outlined several infrastructure projects throughout the city with input from members of the biking community, many of which have been completed in the ensuing years.
“When we did that plan, we did a lot of public outreach and we learned a lot of things about what people wanted,” Tufts said. “We’ve developed great procedures for lane striping, which we didn’t have back then … [and] we also have a lot more miles of shoulders and bike lanes now.”
The longest bike lane runs along the Route 3 corridor, Tufts said, from the Fisherville Road and North State Street areas of Penacook all the way to downtown.
“That whole stretch of road there all has a lane now for bikes … and that was something that wasn’t there back before 2010, so that was a big improvement,” he said. “[Before] the Main Street project, Main Street used to be two lanes of car traffic in each direction, and it was just so much space dedicated to cars, and they redesigned it for wider sidewalks and better biking.”
On some city roads like Pleasant Street, the shoulder line was restriped to effectively widen the space for bicyclists and keep them away from passing cars. There has also been a switch to more improved detection technology for riders who stop at traffic lights on certain intersections.
“The switch to video detection … is gradually happening as old signals are replaced,” Tufts said, “but in the meantime, we have put out markers showing where a bike needs to stop to get a green [light]. … We did a lot of signals in the downtown area near the Statehouse.”
Right now, Tufts said, the most energy in improving biking across Concord involves connecting many of the rail trails in and around the city. Plans are in the works to eventually bring the Northern Rail Trail, which currently stretches from Lebanon all the way down to southern Boscawen, into the Capital City, while the Merrimack River Greenway Trail, a 12.7-mile trail running from Pembroke to Boscawen, has also been proposed.
“Pan Am Railways owns a railroad bed that runs from the Boscawen town line up in Penacook all the way to Horseshoe Pond,” Tufts said. “The Friends of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail … have been working really hard to get the city or the state to purchase that property, so that once it’s in public hands, it can be used for a trail.”
Nashua
While the overall bicycle infrastructure within Nashua can be considered limited compared to Manchester and Concord, there are a number of initiatives underway right in the heart of the city.
Among the most widely used bike and pedestrian pathways is the Nashua Heritage Rail Trail, said Jay Minkarah, executive director of the Nashua Regional Planning Commission.
“It runs from Main Street to Simon Street, parallel to West Hollis Street, so it’s a pretty long run … and in a location that allows it to be a real transportation alternative,” he said. “It goes through some of Nashua’s highest-density … areas and is used pretty heavily by bicycles.”
The City received funding to extend the Heritage Rail Trail all the way east to Temple Street, which Minkarah said would effectively double its length. Officials are also working on a riverfront improvement plan that would increase bike accessibility along the Nashua River.
“There’s also funding … to develop basically a multi-purpose path along Spruce Street directly east of downtown,” Minkarah said. “That would link the planned extension of the Heritage Rail Trail to the riverfront, so that’s really exciting.”
Safety first Here’s a look at some of the statewide bicycle safety laws. See dot.nh.gov for more details. • Bicycles are considered vehicles — therefore, bicyclists must stop at stop signs and red lights, yield to pedestrians and ride on the right side of the road with traffic. • Riding on sidewalks or riding the wrong way on one-way streets is prohibited. • Stop for pedestrians in all crosswalks. Don’t pass cars that are stopped at a crosswalk. • Helmets are required by law for cyclists under 16 years of age. • Bicyclists must wear at least one form of reflective apparel, such as a vest, jacket or helmet strip, during the period from a half hour after sunset to a half hour before sunrise. • When riding after dark, you must use a white front headlight and a red rear light or reflector that is visible from at least 300 feet away. Source: New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s Bicycle and Pedestrian program
New Hampshire has many locales for a leisurely bike ride, and its three biggest cities — Manchester, Concord and Nashua — easily make that list.
“Every bike ride offers a single story to add to the chapters in your life,” said Janet Horvath, recreation and enterprise manager for the City of Manchester. “An urban destination like Manchester is a great choice for a unique change of pace.”
Cyclists have “a tremendous array of choices” to enhance their ride in the Queen City, Horvath said. Hit some of the main attractions in downtown with a ride from West Side Arena to the Millyard and the Fisher Cats stadium, or a ride to Livingston Park via Maple Street, which has bike lanes north of Bridge Street, where you’ll find a hiking trail, Dorrs Pond, athletic fields and other amenities.
Biking at Mine Falls Park in Nashua. Courtesy photo
“Parks offer a chance to commune with nature in the largest urban area in the state,” Horvath said.
In the south end, take a destination ride to Crystal Lake Park, which features a beach, a playground and a pavilion. On the west side, Horvath said, Rock Rimmon Park is “the destination park to see.”
“Cool off at Dupont Splash Pad, take a hike to the top of the ‘Rock,’ or read a book from the book nook,” she said. “Play on the playground, join a pickup game of basketball or pickleball and check out the skateboard features to round out your visit.”
Other bike-friendly features of Manchester, Horvath said, include bike lanes on popular routes, like Elm Street, as well as bike racks and bike repair stations throughout the city “to help out if your trip doesn’t go as planned.”
In Nashua, Mine Falls Park is the prime spot for a bike ride.
“There’s a huge trail system there, with miles and miles of trails that are all accessible to bikes,” said Jeff DiSalvo, Nashua’s recreation program coordinator. “The trails are nice and wide and well-kept, some paved, some dirt, and it’s just a really open area, so people can make [their ride] whatever they want it to be.”
The park rewards cyclists with a variety of natural scenery, including forests, open fields and wetlands.
“It’s just nice to be kind of secluded from the rest of Nashua and separate from the busyness of it,” DiSalvo said.
Concord’s trail systems offer all kinds of cycling experiences, assistant city planner Beth Fenstermacher said, from advanced mountain biking to easy street riding.
“There are a bunch of trails and loops out in the woods with different levels of difficulty, and then there are opportunities to connect to some of the more rural routes that go through Concord for on-street biking,” she said.
A painted bike path runs through downtown, where cyclists can enjoy the city’s shops and restaurants during their ride.
“It’s nice to be out on a nice day in that urban setting, and to be around other people,” Fenstermacher said. “You can stop and get a drink, or get an ice cream, or visit one of our breweries, and take advantage of all those amenities that urban areas provide.”
Horvath said the same of Manchester — that the city’s many activities and attractions are what make it an attractive place to bike.
“You can incorporate a variety of experiences easily in one day,” she said. “Ride to a park, swim in a pool, ride to a museum, see a matinee show and eat international cuisine all in one day.”
Jason Record
QC Bike Collective is a nonprofit organization that works to make biking safer and more convenient for people who live, learn or work in Manchester. It provides space, tools and equipment for community members to repair their bicycles at minimal cost and accepts donated bicycles to salvage useful parts and recycle them, or return them to working order and sell them at an affordable price. A few people who are involved in QC Bike shared their thoughts on city riding.
QC Bike Board of Directors and volunteer, both in the shop and for community outreach. Hooksett resident and shop user.
Do you bike city streets mainly for fun or as a means of transportation?
Mostly fun, but I did bike commute before Covid shut down my office in the Millyard.
What do you love about it?
I love the perspective and awareness of your surroundings that you just don’t get in a car. There are some many great street art pieces, statues, parks, and other features in the city that go easily unnoticed zipping by at 30 mph.
Any favorite routes in Manchester?
Definitely the rail trails, especially the refurbished Rockingham Rail trail. Lake Shore Drive is a favorite public road.
What’s the most challenging part of biking in a city?
Cars and distracted drivers
What’s one of your must-haves for biking gear?
Front and rear flashing lights, high-visibility clothing, and a rear fender
What’s one thing you would recommend to newer city bikers?
Get out there and explore, challenge yourself little by little, and enjoy the ride!
Tammy Zamoyski
Former QC Bike staff, currently Community Partner and volunteer. Manchester resident and shop user.
Do you bike city streets mainly for fun or as a means of transportation?
Transportation.
What do you love about it?
Everything is so close; it rarely takes more than a few minutes longer to bike somewhere vs. drive.
Any favorite routes in Manchester?
I most often take the Piscataquog Trail. It’s a less direct route to my destination, but it’s worth it to not have to be on the road with vehicles.
What’s the most challenging part of biking in a city?
I’m still pretty new to this city, so navigation can be difficult. Sometimes you have to be flexible with your route if the speed [or] volume of vehicular traffic isn’t what you were expecting. Also, the street signs around here can be hard to read, or even find!
What’s one of your must-haves for biking gear?
Properly dressing for the weather can make or break your ride!
What’s one thing you would recommend to newer city bikers?
I’d highly recommend finding a “bike buddy” or riding mentor to ride with until you feel comfortable hitting the road on your own.
Florian Tschurtschenthaler
QC Bike Board of Directors and volunteer, both in the shop and for community outreach. Manchester resident and shop user.
Do you bike city streets mainly for fun or as a means of transportation?
Both.
What do you love about it?
Biking is an efficient and fun alternative to driving around the city. Most of the distances within the city are short enough to be biked easily and especially around the center of the city it can be faster to bike than to take the car. Also it has obvious health and environmental benefits.
Any favorite routes in Manchester?
Elm and Chestnut streets are the best north-south passages. The footbridge by the Fisher Cats stadium is by far the best way to get across the river.
What’s the most challenging part of biking in a city?
Many of the streets, especially east-west, don’t have bike paths and the sidewalks are too poorly maintained to be a good alternative, especially in the winter when the snow doesn’t get cleared.
What’s one of your must-haves for biking gear?
Bright bike lights.
What’s one thing you would recommend to newer city bikers?
The most important thing when sharing the road with drivers is to be predictable. Use hand signs and act as if you were driving a car. Take the lane if you need to. … It’s often safer than to squeeze on the side of a narrow road.
Scott Silberfeld
Long standing QC Bike volunteer – fundraising and for community outreach. Manchester resident and shop user.
Do you bike city streets mainly for fun or as a means of transportation?
Fun.
What do you love about it?
Good exercise, get to see what is going on around the city.
Any favorite routes in Manchester?
Through Elm Street and down Calef Road to South Manchester Bike Trail.
What’s the most challenging part of biking in a city?
Drivers are not as considerate to bike riders as many other cities.
What’s one of your must-haves for biking gear?
Helmet.
What’s one thing you would recommend to newer city bikers?
Use bike lanes as much as possible and ride defensively.
Kim Keegan
QC Bike Board of Directors and volunteer. Manchester resident.
Do you bike city streets mainly for fun or as a means of transportation?
I bike for fun mostly. If I have an event or appointment where I think I may be able to bike there safely and it’s not raining or too cold, I’ll ride my bike.
What do you love about it?
Freedom from trying to find a parking place when I get to my destination, and the added exercise.
Any favorite routes in Manchester?
I stick to my neighborhood, primarily. Smyth Road, Hillside Middle School, Currier Art Museum.
What’s the most challenging part of biking in a city?
I don’t really feel safe in many parts of the city when I’m on my bike. I am an older rider and not in such great shape. Wouldn’t take much for some younger person to jump out and unseat me, and take my bike — or worse.
What’s one of your must-haves for biking gear?
A safety yellow jacket or safety vest, good brakes, well-inflated tires, water bottle, and of course a helmet!
What’s one thing you would recommend to newer city bikers?
Drive the routes first and be observant of road conditions, traffic and speed of cars, and personal safety in the areas. There are areas that would be great to bike to, if you didn’t have to go through bad areas to get to them. Do your research online first and plan your route accordingly.
Dave Rattigan
QC Bike volunteer and rider contact of Jason Record’s. Manchester resident.
Do you bike city streets mainly for fun or as a means of transportation?
Fun (retired), but easy transportation also, which is fun.
What do you love about it?
Being able to upkeep a machine that takes you places by your own power … but mainly coasting and maintaining a good rhythm.
Any favorite routes in Manchester?
Bedford to Lake Massabesic. I’ve been city riding on a mountain bike for several decades, on tar and dirt cut-thru’s
What’s the most challenging part of biking in a city?
Crossing the bridge of death (Queen City), or worse, the Amoskeag bridge.
What’s one of your must-haves for biking gear?
Wearing a diaper and a single-speed mountain bike.
What’s one thing you would recommend to newer city bikers?
Ride aggressively and find cut-thru’s to stay off main streets.
Kevin Kingsbury
Rider contact of Jason Record’s
Do you bike city streets mainly for fun or as a means of transportation?
Bike in the city for fun.
What do you love about it?
What I love about it is feeling like a kid again. Riding everywhere as an adult I did as a kid.
Any favorite routes in Manchester?
Favorite routes are any! But riding through airport terminals at night is great, and inner-city back alley loops are super fun!
What’s the most challenging part of biking in a city?
The challenging things are like Dave said, bridges, and also surprise pot holes and people the wrong way in the bike lanes.
What’s one of your must-haves for biking gear?
Must have a spare tube, and a mid-ride beer!
What’s one thing you would recommend to newer city bikers?
Recommend riding with groups until you get comfortable riding the streets on your own. And find/make your own cut through sand shortcuts!
Brian (Beast Of The East) Cray
Rider contact of Jason Record’s
I avoid the city because of road conditions.
Featured photo: The “bike school bus” pilot program, which encourages kids to ride their bikes to school. Photo courtesy of Manchester Moves.
