Tag: 220728

On The Job – Kurt Strandson

Mortgage broker/lender

Kurt W. Strandson (NMLS# 22202) is a mortgage broker and lender and the owner and president of Pinnacle Mortgage Corporation (NMLS #1323739 Equal Housing Opportunity), which is based in Manchester and licensed in 12 states.

Explain your job and what it entails.

We help buyers and homeowners with residential and mixed use and commercial refinance and purchase mortgages. As a broker, we work with over 30 investors to offer a multitude of products not always offered at larger national retail lenders or small community banks or credit unions.

How long have you had this job?

I started my career in the mortgage industry in March of 2003. I opened Pinnacle in April of 2015. We’ve grown from three people to almost 50 and are continuing to grow as we move into more states and look to open more offices throughout the country.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I graduated from Bentley University in 2000 and thought I was destined to work as a financial planner and stockbroker. I soon realized the mortgage industry allowed me to utilize my bachelor of science degree in economics and finance … and help people achieve the ‘American dream’ of homeownership, which was rewarding and something I quickly became passionate about.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I was fortunate to obtain a bachelor of science degree from Bentley University and an MBA from UNH in 2012. I do feel both experiences provided the knowledge, education and foundation for me to succeed both as a mortgage broker and a business owner. I found that in the MBA program, I learned as much if not more from my fellow classmates sharing their knowledge and experiences from their careers. I also earned my Certified Mortgage Professional designation.

What’s your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Normal business attire is business casual.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

Prior to the pandemic, a large percentage of our applications were taken in person. The pandemic expedited the use and development of new technology in our industry to accommodate working remotely. We’re now paperless, and a majority of the process is done online or via technology. We still offer in-person appointments for those who prefer it, but the use and development of technology … has made the process simple, straightforward and fast for our borrowers. The pandemic brought record loan volume as mortgage rates hit historic lows, creating a very high demand for homes.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

Patience. Sometimes you have to wait for the right situations, relationships and opportunities. I’ve been very blessed with a career that doesn’t feel like a job. I’ve also been blessed with a beautiful wife and family of six children, which I’m grateful for every day.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

Many people don’t know or understand the amount of information and data that’s required to be collected and verified throughout the mortgage application process. Technology has made it more efficient but there’s a lot done behind the scenes to get an application to a closing table.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first official job was at 15 years old, working at Giant Pizza in Danielson, Connecticut.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

Surround yourself with good people. We care about each other and want to support each team member in every way we can. We win as a team.

Five favorites

Favorite book: Winning by Tim Grover
Favorite movie: Diggstown
Favorite music: The Lumineers
Favorite food: Bone-in rib-eye
Favorite thing about NH: I love skiing in the White Mountains with family and friends.

Featured photo: Kurt Strandson. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 22/07/28

Hello, Donna.

I have a piece of this silver. It’s marked Gorham on the bottom and sterling. It’s 8 inches tall and the bowl is 9 inches. I don’t have any use for it so I’m wondering if you could suggest a new home and selling value.

Thank you for the effort.

Cam

Dear Cam,

What you have is a piece of holloware made right here in New England, in Providence, Rhode Island. The Gorham Manufacturing Co. story is an interesting one if you cared to do more research.

For now, though, let’s help with what you have. Gorham was known for sterling flatware, holloware and many other sterling and silver-plated useful items.

Holloware feels heavy because it is weighted but the sterling is actually thin almost like a foil. This makes it more fragile than a solid sterling piece. It also makes the plain and simple ones like your compote less valuable.

Even so, Cam, the value is in the range of $60+ depending on the condition. No dents or crinkling etc. I’m just not sure these days how to refer you to a buyer. Silver is a lot of work to use or display these days.

Try going to a local antique shop to see what they might offer. Remember always, though, they won’t pay the full value because they will have to find a buyer for it.

I hope this helps and you do find a new home for this compote.

Plants to avoid if you can

Wild parsnips burn and buttercups run rampant

This is the time of year when wild parsnips are in full bloom. They stand anywhere from 2 to 6 feet tall and are topped with clusters of tiny flowers facing upward and arranged in a flat cluster called an umbel. The blossoms are similar to those on Queen Anne’s lace, but yellow.

Avoid wild parsnips because you can get terrible burns from the sap of this plant. When the sap on you is hit by bright sunshine, most people develop painful blisters. This is unfortunate, as this common plant is spread by seed, often creating large patches in fields and along roadsides. If you get sap on you, wash it off with soap and water immediately, cover the area, and stay out of direct sunshine for 48 hours.

How can you get rid of wild parsnips? Wild parsnips are biennials, meaning they die after blooming in their second year. I’ve read that mowing a patch of them right after they bloom (but before they produce seeds) will get rid of them, but only if you do this for three to five years. Presumably the repeated mowing is needed to kill plants that come back from seeds that did not germinate in Year 1.

large flowering plant with woody stalk and clumps of white flowers
Giant hogweed is an invasive that can burn you with its sap.

Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is in the same family as parsnips but is bigger, harder to get rid of and even more toxic. I saw it for sale some 20 years ago and was intrigued by its size (6 to 12 feet tall) and blossoms that are up to 3 feet across. I bought it and planted it, having been told that it was not a perennial, though it is.

Even though I didn’t know its sap could cause burns, I quickly decided that giant hogweed was not a plant I wanted. It popped up 50 feet away from where I planted it, and could grow in full sun or full shade, wet soil or dry. I decided it had potential to take over.

At first I just cut off the flower heads before they produced seeds, but in Year 2 or 3 I decided to pull it by the roots. I was lucky that I was able to get out the roots, which can go down 2 feet or more. And even more fortunately, either I did not get sap on me or I am not allergic to it. It is not widely distributed in New England, though it is a real pest in parts of California and elsewhere.

I was less fortunate when it came to getting rid of the Japanese butterbur (Petasites japonicus) I purchased long ago. I was told that yes, it could run, but it was easy to contain with a lawnmower or a stream. Not so. This plant can send roots 20 feet or more, then send up new plants. It is an aggressive plant that will smother almost any other. It likes moisture, and does well in shade as well as sun.

Depending on the variety, this plant can produce clumps of huge leaves that stand up to five feet tall. It has small flowers that erupt from the soil before the leaves. The roots go down deep and break easily, making it tough to remove. In its native Japan it is considered an edible, but I have no interest in eating it.

I have lost control of our Japanese butterbur. It crossed the stream and has gone under the lawn to other beds, and generally become a pest. Even though it is interesting to look at, enough is enough! I wish I had never bought it!

yellow and purple flowering plants growing across a yard
Buttercups are pretty, but tough to control

Another pest I have will surprise you, perhaps: buttercups (Ranunculus repens). Like some of the others mentioned above, at first I welcomed this bright harbinger of spring that displays cheerful yellow blossoms. But it has become a problem because it spreads not only by root but by seed, and once established it is difficult to weed out. And it will choke out other plants. It is glorious in bloom, but very tenacious. If you have moist, rich soil in part shade, watch out. I’d advise removing it early before it starts crowding out other plants. This one is native to Europe, but there are native species that are not a problem, I am told.

Years ago a friend gave me some iris that had the roots of goutweed (Aegopodium podagraria) tangled in with the iris roots. It quickly took over the iris bed, choking out everything else. A native of Asia and parts of Europe, it can form a dense mat that outcompetes everything else. The roots are brittle, and thus hard to remove. Even a scrap of root can start a new plant.

I dug out all the goutweed, took away the soil down to 12 inches and replaced the soil after putting down a heavy weed mat. Still, five years later it crawled out from under the mat. If you have it, accept you will probably always have it, though with persistence and a good weeding tool, it is possible to control. But I wouldn’t buy a house that has it!

A variegated form of goutweed called “Snow on the Mountains” has green and white leaves and was sold as a groundcover in the past. But sometimes it reverts back to the more aggressive all-green form and tries to take over the world. So avoid both forms.

Let’s face it: Plants take advantage of us if they can. We like good-looking, interesting plants, so they put on a good show. But among the good ones, there are those aggressive thugs that deserve no mercy. All you can do is be attentive and act quickly when a new plant starts to take over your gardens.

Featured photo: Goutweed will outcompete any other plants and is difficult to eradicate

Kiddie Pool 22/07/28

Family fun for the weekend

It’s showtime at the Palace!

• Join the Lost Boys in Neverland for the Palace Theatre’s (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) next Children’s Summer Series play, Peter Pan. Watch the magical journey of Wendy, John and Michael Darling and their guide, Peter Pan, as they fight pirates, rescue Native American princess Tiger Lily, and cause mischief with the Lost Boys in Neverland. The show runs through Friday, July 29. Show times are Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10 each.

• It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! The Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp in Manchester (palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) will present Mary Poppins Junioron Friday, July 29, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m. The show follows the two young Banks children, Jane and Michael, and their practically perfect nanny, Mary Poppins. The show is performed by campers entering grades 2 to 12. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for kids.

• Don’t forget your shoes for the classic fairy tale Cinderella, which is following Peter Pan in the Palace Theatre’s Children Summer Series (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588). The show will run Tuesday, Aug. 2, through Friday, Aug. 5. Show times are Tuesday through Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10 each.

More kid-friendly theater

• The Peterborough Players continue their presentation of The Emperor’s New Clothes at their new outdoor space, the Elsewhere Stage, on the grounds of the Players (55 Hadley St. in Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org) on Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; Saturday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, with all shows starting at 10:30 a.m. The show is performed by the Players Second Company, which features young professionals and is geared toward a younger audience. Tickets are $15 each for adults, $10 each for children, available online or at the door.

• The North Country Center will present Return to Oz for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a touring children’s theater troupe, Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.

Movie date

• Get ready for some super-pet fun at Chunky’s three locations (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua, and 150 Bridge St., Pelham) for a sensory-friendly showing of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank (2022, PG) on Thursday, July 28, at noon. Paws of Fury follows Hank, a down on his luck hound in a land filled with cats, who goes on an epic journey to become a fierce samurai to defeat the evil that threatens his new home. The theaters will keep the volumes low and the house lights turned up for this showing, according to the website. Tickets are $5.99 each and can be purchased at chunkys.com.

• Super pets will take over the screen at O’neil Cinema (24 Calef Hwy., Epping) for a sensory-friendly showing of DC League of Super-Pets (2022, PG) on Saturday, July 30, at 10 a.m. The movie follows Superman’s dog, Krypto, and a group of other animal heroes as they work to save the Justice League after the group has been kidnapped. O’neil Cinema will have the volume be softer and the lights on for this showing. More information can be found at oneilcinemas.com.

Playing in the park

• Princesses and knights in shining armor will turn Greeley Park (100 Concord St., Nashua) into a real-life picture book. The Nashua Summer Fun program is bringing back the annual Fairy Tale Festival on Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event will feature fairy tale characters, a costume parade around the park at 12:45 p.m., a bounce house, vendors and more. Visit nashuanh.gov.

• Keach Park (9 Newton Ave. in Concord) is being taken over by the Friends Program for a Friend-a-Palooza on Saturday, July 30, from 2 to 5 p.m. There will be family-friendly activities ranging from face paint and giant bubbles to Zumba classes and a read-athon. The event is free and will include special outreach to at-risk youth in the local area. Visit friendsprogram.org.

National Night Out

• Meet some of your local first responders during National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 2. Across New Hampshire, police and fire departments are giving families a chance to get up close and personal with the police officers and firefighters who protect local towns. Twenty towns in the Granite State participate in this event. Visit natw.org to learn which towns in New Hampshire are participating.

Concord’s night out will be at Rollins Park (33 Bow St.) from 5 to 8 p.m. and will have touch a truck, arts and crafts, music, a rock climbing wall, and more.

Goffstown’s night out will be more of a block party with food and entertainment. It will run from 5 to 8 p.m. at 27 Wallace Road.

Manchester’s night out will be at the JFK Coliseum parking lot (303 Beech St.), will begin at 5 p.m., and will have a K-9 display, as well as many of the first responder vehicles.

The night out in Nashua will be at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua (1 Positive Place) from 5 to 7:30 p.m. and will have food, games and demonstrations.

New look at nature

• The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2002) will reopen its Cochecosystem Nature exhibit, which has been reimagined and celebrates the wildlife along the Cocheco River, on Wednesday, Aug. 3, according to a press release. “Visitors will be immersed in the sights, sounds and activities of the animals and people who make their lives along New Hampshire’s rivers,” the release said. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the exhibit space overlook the actual river, the release said. On Aug. 3, kids will also be able to make their own beaver paw track at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reserve a time spot for admission online in advance; admission costs $12.50 for everyone over 12 months old, $10.50 for 65+. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays with times from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon.

— Katelyn Sahagian

Small-town fun

The Canterbury Fair celebrates close communities for the 61st year

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

The Canterbury Fair is back after its pandemic pause and will once again highlight local artisans, feature a popular barbecue chicken dinner and offer shopping with its used book sale and the What Not sale, a type of white elephant and antique market.

Rick Crockford, a co-chair of the fair, said that this fair is meant to celebrate small towns and communities.

“It started out in the ’50s as a way to get people excited mid-summer about small-town life,” Crockford said. “It’s remained largely, crafty and agricultural. It’s much more low-key than [fairs at] other places.”

The reason the fair started was to help pay for a new parish house at Canterbury United Community Church after a fire had destroyed the original one in 1943. In 1959, a chicken barbecue was added to the fair’s normal activities and, according to the Canterbury Fair’s website, the fair raised close to $2,000.

In addition to the barbecue, there will be regular grilled foods, like hot dogs, burgers, sausage grinders and veggie burgers, Crockford said. He said his personal favorite part of the event is the frappe bar from Jordan’s Ice Creamery.

After the food comes the entertainment and local artisans. Children’s entertainers and musicians will perform throughout the day, and Crockford said that the Morris Dancers, a group that performs a traditional British style of dancing, is a longtime fair favorite.

“They have cymbals on their feet and sticks and they do old English dancing,” he said. “There’s a caller who runs the dance; it’s very cool. They’ve been at probably every fair for the past 15 years.”

kids in tie-dye shirts fishing in troughs at town fair
Photos courtesy of Donna Miller.

For new entertainment, Crockford said that he was especially excited to welcome drummers from the Native American Abenaki tribe.

As for local artisans, Crockford said there will be everything from jewelry to leather goods. Even a local guitar maker will be showing off his instruments.

“We have an unwritten rule that the vendors we rent space to have to produce something themselves,” Crockford said, adding that they didn’t want people to be reselling items they had purchased.

Crockford said that the used book sale, which will be at the Old Town Hall, and the What Not sale, at the elementary school, are among the biggest draws for most visitors. The proceeds from both sales will be used to raise money for the Canterbury Fund, which gets donated back to the town’s schools.

While the vendors are exciting for adults, kids will get the chance to have their face painted and play different games. Kids of all ages can enjoy spending time with the animals at the petting zoo.

Crockford said that the fair isn’t a big fancy shindig, but it is still special and can attract people from as far away as Maine and Vermont.

“We don’t have any rides, and there’s no fried dough,” Crockford said. “[The fair’s] mostly people who want to appreciate local craftspeople and support them financially. See a little bit of the old-timey fair before everything got all rushed.”

61st annual Canterbury Fair
Where: Baptist Road, Canterbury
When: Saturday, July 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
Visit: canterburyfair.com

Featured photo: Photos courtesy of Donna Miller.

The Art Roundup 22/07/28

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

• Unwind with art: At this week’s Art After Work at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) catch live music from Halley Neal during the weekly event, which features free admission from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Also on Thursday, July 28, the exhibition tours are of the newly installed second floor east galleries (at 5:30 p.m.) and of the Arghavan Khosravi exhibit (6:30 p.m.), according to the website. In addition to live music and free admission, during Art After Work, the museum’s cafe offers happy hour drink specials and the full menu available for purchase, the website said. Next week, the jazz group Causeway Collective will play the Art After Work on Thursday, Aug. 4.

• Midsummer’s night theater: The Dana Center for the Humanities at Saint Anselm College (100 Saint Anselm Drive, Manchester) will finish up its presentation of Shakespeare on the Green this weekend. Catch A Midsummer’s Night Dream on Thursday, July 28, and Saturday, July 30, at 7:30 p.m. Or (and?) see Romeo and Juliet on Friday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $25 per person and can be purchased at tickets.anselm.edu.

• Reports from ‘Little America’: Author Ken Kalfus will discuss and sign his new novel, 2 A.M. In Little America, at the Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough (12 Depot Square; toadbooks.com, 924-3543) on Saturday, July 30, at 2 p.m. The novel “imagines a future in which sweeping civil conflict has forced America’s young people to flee its borders” according to the Toadstool website, which describes the book as “brimming with mystery, suspense and Kalfus’s distinctive comic irony.”

Zoe Brooke’s art in Exeter
A new exhibit will run at the Seacoast Art Association (130 Water St., Exeter) from Aug. 3 through Aug. 28. Zoe Brooke, a self-taught artist whose work can be found in galleries across New England, presents an exhibition with a sense of urgency. Diagnosed last year with a rare genetic eye disease, Brooke will eventually lose her central and color vision. For now, she has set out to create as many works as possible. Her exhibit, called “Wellspring,” is available to be seen during regular gallery hours, Wednesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. A public reception will be held to celebrate the collection on Friday, Aug. 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. Visit seacoastartist.org.

• Book signing in Tilton: Poet and artist Jeff Mellin will sign copies of his new book, Player Piano (Dream 19),on Tuesday, Aug. 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Book Warehouse at Tanger Outlets (120 Laconia Road in Tilton; 286-7880). According to a press release, the book “features Mellin’s ‘hopeful dream-ballad’ illustrated with images he adapted and collages from a painting by pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Coley Burne-Jones and a 16th-century Book of Flower Studies, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

• Under the sea: Tickets are on sale now for the Peacock Players’ production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr., which will run Friday, Aug. 5, through Sunday Aug. 7, and Friday, Aug. 12, through Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Court Street Theater (14 Court St. in Nashua). Shows on Fridays are at 7 p.m., Saturday shows are at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday shows are at 2 p.m. The show is “our first ever student produced title,” according to the Peacock Players website (peacockplayers.org), where you can buy tickets, which cost $15 to $18 (plus fees) for adults and $12 to $15 (plus fees) for kids. Or call the box office at 886-7000.

• Never too early for celebratory trees: The League of NH Craftsmen’s Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith; meredith.nhcrafts.org/classes, 279-7920) will host a Wool Feather Tree Class with instructor Jean Reed on Sunday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Use wire stems and felted wool to make 18-inch trees and decorate with decorative berries, lighting and ornaments, according to a press release. The class costs $130 per student; call for advance registration (which is required).

Players premiere
The Peterborough Players (55 Hadley Road, Peterborough) introduce the U.S. premiere of Marcia Johnson’s Serving Elizabeth now through July 31. The play follows the story of a Kenyan restaurant owner who is vehemently anti-monarchy but is given the opportunity to cook for Princess Elizabeth in 1952. At the same time, it follows a Kenyan-Canadian film student in 2015 as she reckons with the history of colonialism. Single tickets for Serving Elizabeth are $47 and can be purchased at peterboroughplayers.org or by calling the box office at 924-7585.

• August art: The New Hampshire Boat Museum (399 Center St. in Wolfeboro; nhbm.org) will feature the works of local artist Jessica Kelly in August and hold a reception for the exhibit on Friday, Aug. 5. Kelly, a photographer and local kindergarten teacher, will present works with coastal scenes, nature, sunsets and more, according to a press release. The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission costs $9 for adults, $7 for ages 14 to 21 and for 65+; kids 13 and under and active military and their family get in free.

• An evening with Gen. John Stark: The Manchester Historic Association (manchesterhistoric.org) will hold “An Early Glimpse of Manchester” walking tour of Stark Park on Thursday, Aug. 25, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event, a collaboration with the Majestic Theatre, will feature an actor-led tour with Gen. John Stark and his wife Molly (along with contemporaries Samuel Blodget, Robert Rogers, Samantha Plantin and Elizabeth Stark) giving first-person accounts, according to the website. Registration costs $15 and is required in advance. Go to the website or call 622-7531.

• Save the date for animal knowledge: Author Susie Spikol, a naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, will come to Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) to “teach your kiddos how to find critters in their neighborhood” on Saturday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. with her book The Animal Adventurer’s Guide: How to Prowl for an Owl, Make Snail Slime, and Catch a Frog Bare-Handed, according to a press release. The book, which is slated for release Sept. 13, features “50 hands-on activities and adventures that bring you closer to wild animals than you’ve ever been,” the release said. Spikol will also bring supplies to do one of the crafts from the book.

Uncommon Art in Goffstown
The 14th Annual Uncommon Art on the Common outdoor art show will take place along Main Street in Goffstown on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Forty-two local artists will be featured, including Goffstown artist Ann Trainor Domingue. She will display original coastal-inspired artworks, notecards, prints and more. Uncommon Art is held rain or shine and is sponsored by the Goffstown Main Street Program and other local businesses. Visit goffstownmainstreet.org.

– Hannah Turtle

ART

Exhibits

• SUMMER MEMBERS SHOW Two Villages Art Society presents a mixed-media art show at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) through July 30. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• “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.

• “THE PEOPLE’S SCULPTOR: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOHN ROGERS” Exhibit celebrates the art of American sculptor John Rogers, who came to Manchester in 1850, and explores the influence that Manchester had on Rogers’ life and work. Presented by the Manchester Historic Association. On view now through September. Millyard Museum (200 Bedford St., Manchester). Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission costs $8 for adults, $6 for seniors age 62 and up and college students, $4 for youth ages 12 through 18, and is free for kids under age 12. Call 622-7531 or visit manchesterhistoric.org/millyard-museum.

• “WOOL: CONTEMPORARY FIBER ART EXHIBITION Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) through Sept. 2. 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.

• ROBIN CORNWELL The New Hampshire Boat Museum will feature local artist Robin Cornwell in the museum’s gallery (399 Center St. in Wolfeboro; nhbm.org) in July. Cornwell produces art quilts as well as bark paper paintings and woven placemats and rugs. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more about Cornwell, visit robincornwellembellishments.com.

• 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].

• “PIXELS, WOOD, CLAY” Two Villages Art Society presents an exhibition of work by artists Tony Gilmore, Rick Manganello and Caren Helm. The Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook). Aug. 12 through Sept. 9. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. There will be an opening reception on Sat., Aug. 13, from noon to 2 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

Fairs and markets

• 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 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.

• 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.

• GREELEY PARK ART SHOW The annual outdoor juried art show hosted by Nashua Area Artists Association features a variety of artwork for sale. Greeley Park, 100 Concord St., Nashua. Sat., Aug. 20, and Sun., Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit nashuaarts.org/greeleyparkartshow.

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 for more information.

Workshops and classes

• 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

•

• FOOTLOOSE Prescott Park Arts Festival (105 Marcy St., Portsmouth; prescottpark.org , 436-2848) presents this outdoor musical through Aug. 14, with showtimes on most Thursdays and Sundays at 7 p.m., and most Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., with some matinee showtimes TBA. General admission costs $5, and reserved seating tickets cost $55 to $150.

• THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, presented by the Peterborough Players at their new outdoor space, the Elsewhere Stage, on the grounds of the Players (55 Hadley St., Peterborough; peterboroughplayers.org), will run on Friday, July 29; Saturday, July 30; Saturday, Aug. 6; Wednesday, Aug. 10; Friday, Aug. 12, and Saturday, Aug. 13, all shows starting at 10:30 a.m. The show is performed by the Players Second Company, which features young professionals and is geared toward a younger audience. Tickets are $15 each for adults, $10 each for children, available online or at the door.

• PETER PAN presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) through Thursday, July 28, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, July 29, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• MARY POPPINS JR.presented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, July 29, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, July 30, at 11 a.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

• LEGALLY BLONDE JR. musical presented by RB Productions Theater Company at the Capitol Center for the Arts Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, July 29, and Saturday, July 30, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors (plus fees).

• CINDERELLA presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 2, through Thursday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• RETURN TO OZ presented by North Country Center for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a Touring Children’s Theatre Troupe, Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.

• JACK AND THE BEANSTALKpresented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 5, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

• BEAUTY & THE BEAST presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 9, through Thursday, Aug. 11, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 12, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• JACK AND THE BEANSTALK presented by North Country Center for the Art’s IMPACT Program, a Touring Children’s Theatre Troupe, Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Tickets are free but must be reserved online.

• NUNSENSE, the musical that has been updated with new jokes, will be presented by the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St. in Manchester; majestictheatre.net, 669-7649) on Fridays, Aug. 12 and Aug. 19, at 7 p.m.; Saturdays, Aug. 13 and Aug. 20, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $15 to $20.

• SNOW WHITE & THE SEVEN DWARFS presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 16, through Thursday, Aug. 18, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

• LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL JR.presented by Palace Youth Theatre summer camp at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) on Friday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 20, at 11 a.m., and Friday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for adults and $12 for kids.

•THE GREAT ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC SHAKESPEARE COMPANY presented by Granite Playwrights at the Hatbox Theatre (inside the Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road, Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) from Aug. 19 through Aug. 28, with showtimes on Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $22 for adults, $19 for students, seniors and members and $16 for senior members.

• DISNEY’S FROZEN KIDS presented by the 2022 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Seriesat the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) Tuesday, Aug. 23, through Thursday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 26, at 10 a.m. Tickets cost $10.

•​ LES MISERABLES presented by the Seacoast Repertory Theatre (125 Bow St., Portsmouth; seacoastrep.org, 433-4472) teen company from Aug. 25 through Sept. 4, with showtimes on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $25 for students and $30 for adults.

• CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE ’90s MUSICAL presented by the Actorsingers at the Janice B. Streeter Theatre (14 Court St., Nashua; actorsingers.org) Friday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 28, 2 p.m. TIckets cost $20 for adults, $18 for 62+ (plus fees).

• SHREK THE MUSICAL presented by the Riverbend Youth Company at the Amato Center for the Performing Arts (56 Mont Vernon St., Milford; svbgc.org/amato-center) from Friday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Aug. 28.

• TITANIC THE MUSICAL Presented by the Manchester Community Theatre Players. Manchester Community Theatre Players Theatre, located at the North End Montessori School (698 Beech St., Manchester; manchestercommunitytheatre.com, 327-6777). Showtimes on Fri., Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, and Sat., Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.

CLASSICAL

Open calls

• THE RHYTHM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOW CHORUS Women’s a cappella chorus is looking for female singers in the region to join. The group, an affiliate of the North American singing organization Harmony, Inc., performs a wide variety of music, including Broadway musical songs, patriotic songs, pop, jazz and seasonal pieces, for community and veterans’ events and private functions. Rehearsals are held weekly on Thursdays from 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. at the Marion Gerrish Community Center, 39 W. Broadway, Derry. Masks are required for singing, but both vaccinated and unvaccinated singers are welcome. Visit rnhchorus.org or email [email protected] for more information.

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