Tag: 230302

Kiddie Pool 23/03/02

Family fun for the weekend

Library happenings

• The Nashua River Watershed Association will be leading a hands-on Nashua River junior scientist program on Thursday, March 2, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St.). Kids will use the Nashua River as their “outdoor laboratory,” to explore river issues and do activities related to river ecology, watershed protection, and look at this important resource through the lens of climate change, according to the library. Visit nashualibrary.org.

• Join the Manchester City Library (405 Pine St.) for a day filled with retro games and pixel art on Thursday, March 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. Families can play live-action versions of their favorite retro games, do game-inspired crafts, and create pixel art that’s used in older video games. The program is geared toward kids in grades 1 through 6 and their families. Visit manchester.lib.nh.us for more information.

Girl Scout fun

• Girl Scouts are hosting a unicorn party and sign-up event on Monday, March 6, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Hampstead Central School (21 Emerson Ave.) in the art room. Girls in kindergarten through grade 12, along with a caregiver, are invited to do a hands-on craft while learning more about the Scouts and how to sign up. The event is also virtual and can be accessed at girlscoutsgwm.org.

• And save the date: Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains are looking for girls to join their competitive rowing team for the upcoming General Clinton Regatta in New York. Girls don’t have to be a member of the Scouts to join the swift paddlers team, but will become an honorary member for the purpose of the competition. Practices will take place at Camp Kettleford in Bedford and the competition will be in September. To sign up or to get more information, contact [email protected] or call 888-474-9686.

Get active

• The City Wide Community Center (14 Canterbury Road, Concord) is hosting family drop-in basketball for families in and around the capital city on Thursday, March 2. Games start at 6 p.m. and will be led by the recreation center’s staff. Children participating must be supervised by a teen or adult older than 16. Fee to participate is $2 for Concord residents, $3 for non-residents. For more information about this event, call 225-8690.

• The last race in the Snow or No We Go series is on Saturday, March 4, at 10 a.m. There are two races to choose from, a 2- or 4-mile run/walk. This race will be at the Prospect Acres Obstacle Course (4 Beaumier Drive, Franklin). Proceeds from the signup will benefit the Canterbury Shaker Village, Boys and Girls Club of Central NH, and Prospect Acres Obstacle Course. Registration costs $25 per runner and can be completed at runsignup.com.

Shows!

• Come to the Capitol Center for the Arts’ Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord) to see the Omnium Circus on Thursday, March 2, at 7 p.m. The circus’s new show “I’m Possible” follows the story of Johnny, who goes on a journey of courage and strength in a madcap circus adventure. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Visit ccanh.com to reserve a spot.

• If you’re at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org) on Sunday, March 5, check out the theGallery 6 art exhibition: Step into a Story – Art by New England Illustrators, which closes March 6 (the museum is closed on Mondays). The project looks at the artwork and the creative process of storybook writers and artists from New Hampshire and neighboring states. Entrance to Gallery 6 is free and it is open during museum hours, which vary day to day. For more information, visit childrens-museum.org.

Save the Date

• Get a jump start on Maple Weekend with the Beaver Brook Association (117 Ridge Road, Hollis) at the Maple Sugar Magic Family Event on Sunday, March 12, at 1 p.m. The free event will look at the history of the maple sugar season and the process of tapping and collecting the sweet stuff, through crafts, puppet shows and more. Advance registration is required and can be done at beaverbrook.org/education.

• Join the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester) for Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet on Sunday, April 2, at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The show follows Nancy and her best friend Bree as they audition for the fanciest of ballets, the Deep-Sea Dances. The production is put on by the Southern NH Youth Ballet. In addition to Nancy’s story, they will also perform The Ugly Duckling. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at palacetheatre.org.

Treasure Hunt 23/03/02

Hi, Donna,

I hope you can help me identify my antique oak chair. I would like to know the era and artist. Any information will be helpful. Thank you.

Donna S.

Dear Donna,

It’s tough to find a single maker of some Victorian era chairs. The style of yours was very popular and not uncommon. Chairs, tables and other pieces were made with the lion’s head, paw foot style.

Some pieces, depending on how elaborate, can bring high values. There are some makers as well that will increase the collectibility today. But for most common styles the value is based on condition.

As far as a value, Donna, most collectors want them in original clean condition and finish. Your chair looks to be in clean shape but not necessarily all original. I think you could put the value in the range of $400.

Thanks for sharing, Donna, and I hope you find a new home for your chair.

Tips for buying and enjoying cut flowers

Bring the colors of summer inside

Winter drags on, even though the days are getting longer. The sun is often lurking behind gray clouds, and on a good day we only get about nine hours of light. I do miss the colors of summer, so I keep fresh cut flowers on our table — even though I have to buy them.

Cut flowers are among modern America’s true bargains. For the price of a bottle of wine — or a couple of cups of fancy coffee — you can buy flowers that will grace your table for up to three weeks. But there are some things you should know about getting good table-life for your investment.

First, you need to buy fresh flowers that have been carefully tended — and you can’t beat a florist for that. A floral shop has trained personnel who trim each stem in the store every other day and change the water to keep flowers fresh. Cut flowers need to take up water to stay fresh and healthy. Stems tend to scab over after a day or two, which means they cannot take up replacement water, or not much, so they suffer.

Here are some things you can do to promote longer vase life. Cut off leaves that would enter the water in your vase. Leaves will rot, promoting growth of bacteria, which will impede water take-up. Cut off half to three quarters of an inch of each stem every few days, and change the water. Use the packets of white powder that often comes with flowers — it does help.

Keep your arrangement cool if you can. Putting it near a radiator or woodstove or putting it in a sunny window will shorten its life. If you have invested in pricey roses or tulips, you may wish to move the vase to the entryway or mudroom at bedtime to keep the flowers extra cool during the night.

Some flowers are better picks than others if you’re on a budget and can’t afford to buy new flowers every week. Here are my recommendations for good cut flowers:

Lisianthus. These look like silk flowers to me: perfect white, pink or lavender-colored bell-shaped flowers on long stems. Tough to grow in the garden, they are perfect in a vase — I’ve kept them for up to three weeks.

Miniature carnations. Each stem has two to four blossoms. They come in a variety of colors. Mix dark red “minis” with red roses to make a bouquet of roses look fuller. And even after the roses go to Valhalla, the carnations will still be good!

Chrysanthemums. These come in a variety of sizes and colors, from the huge spider mums to little guys. I love the scent of the flowers — it’s not overpowering, but it’s there if you sniff them.

Statice. I grow these for use as dry flowers, which tells you that they really do last forever, even out of water. They come in blue, purple, pink and white.

Spray roses. Instead of a single blossom per stem, these have two to five blossoms, giving you more bang for your buck. These will last about a week, or even more with proper care.

Alstroemeria. One of the best for long life. Each long stem has clusters of 2-inch lily-like blossoms in pinks and reds, with yellow throats. If you buy them in bud, they will look good for three weeks!

Orchids. While not cheap, orchids as cut flowers can last up to a month. I love dendrobiums, though they are not common, even in floral shops. Cymbidiums have bigger blossoms and also last extremely well.

Kangaroo paws. These Australian natives are fuzzy and cute. They come in pinks, reds, orange and brown, and last very well. Not every florist will have them.

Asiatic lilies. I recently got a bouquet of five nice stems grown in New Hampshire that was sold at my local Coop food store. For $12.95, they will bloom with great elegance.

You may wish to ask where the flowers you plan to buy are from. Holland, Colombia, Ecuador and Kenya are the world’s top growers and export much of what is available. Some foreign growers have been criticized for producing flowers using strong pesticides and poor labor practices. The Sun Valley group in California is an excellent major American grower of cut flowers — but there is still the environmental cost of shipping them 3,000 miles to us. If you can buy flowers grown locally in greenhouses, do it!

Everyone loves to receive the gift of cut flowers, even us guys. So treat your loved one or yourself to fresh flowers this winter. They’re cheerful and can make winter less oppressive for gardeners.

Featured photo: Alstroemeria is a long lasting, inexpensive cutflower. Photo by Henry Homeyer.

Breaking free from insecurity

Bedford Off Broadway presents Jon Lonoff’s Skin Deep

By Mya Blanchard

[email protected]

Almost everyone has faced insecurity or felt down on their luck while those around them seemed to have it all. This is the case for Maureen Mulligan, the protagonist in Jon Lonoff’s show Skin Deep. Bedford Off Broadway will be putting on a production of the show at Old Bedford Town Hall, which will run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from March 3 through March 12.

“She’s down on her luck [and has] been single for a long time,” Sarah Smith, who plays the role of Maureen, said of her character. “She had a wedding that was supposed to happen but didn’t work out, and her younger sister Sheila sets her up on a blind date that she really does not want to participate in.”

The four-person show follows Maureen, along with her blind date, Joe, her sister Sheila and Sheila’s husband, Squire, as they each navigate their relationships and battle their own insecurities.

Smith’s involvement in theater began when she was in middle school and became more serious during her high school years.

“I was a music major in college so I didn’t really have time to do theater then,” she said. “So once I graduated I started doing more shows in the community.”

One of those shows happened to be a production of Skin Deep that she was involved in years back.

“I had done the show 11 years ago and I had played the other sister, Sheila,” Smith said. “So when I saw that [director] Joe Pelonzi was doing it again, I decided to try out, and he decided to cast me as the other sister.”

The two sisters Smith has now had the chance to portray couldn’t be more different on the surface.

“Maureen [is] in her mid 40s [and has] always kind of struggled with her self-confidence,” Dan Arlen, who plays the role of Squire, said. “Her sister Sheila is … [the] type of woman … [that] every woman wants to be.”

Helping one’s own struggles with confidence is one way that being involved in theater can be beneficial, as Arlen points out.

“Theater itself really just allows you to kind of play with an insecurity or with something that you’ve wanted to do,” he said. “For example, when I was around 15 or 16 I did a show at the Palace Theatre … and I … played a character who was very confident. … At 16 I was … not confident. … I couldn’t do it in my normal life, but for four hours a day I got to be this other character.”

While our insecurities may cause us to feel isolated, they can be the factor that connects us to others, as is the case for Maureen and Joe.

“[The show] is … about the two of them figuring out that … [they] both have had kind of similar stories in [their] dating lives and in [their] lives in general of always being picked last,” Arlen said. “It’s kind of like the two of them uniting and saying, ‘We can get through this life together.’”

Not only do these experiences bring the characters together, but they can also connect them with the audience.

“Regardless of who you are as a person, you can connect with one of these four people,” Arlen said. “So I think it’s an ability to recognize that maybe these four characters’ stories are yours.”

Bedford Off Broadway presents Skin Deep
When: Friday, March 3, through Sunday, March 12 — showtimes are at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. on Sundays
Where: Old Bedford Town Hall, 3 Meetinghouse Road, Bedford
Cost: Tickets are $15 for general admission, and $12 for children, students and seniors
More info: Visit bedfordoffbroadway.com. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance online at brownpapertickets.com/event/5718535

Featured photo: Symphony NH’s full orchestra. Courtesy photo.

The Art Roundup 23/03/02

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

• Update: The Manchester Community Music School’s faculty performance of “Chanson d’Amour” featuring Harel Gietheim on cello and Piper Runnion on harp has been rescheduled for Friday, March 24, at 7 p.m. at the school, 2291 Elm St. in Manchester. Admission is free but pre-register at mcmusicschool.org to attend in person or online.

• Earth Day art: The Manchester Artists Association has original art works on display in the exhibit “Love Our Planet” at the New Hampshire Audubon Massabesic Center (6 Audubon Way in Auburn) through Saturday, April 29, from noon to 5 p.m. on days the center is open, according to a press release. Artists will exhibit more than 30 original works in oil, acrylic, pastel, watercolor, mixed media and photography, and the works will be available for purchase, the release said. See manchesterartists.com.

Ukrainian Easter eggs
The League of NH Craftsmen Meredith Fine Craft Gallery (279 Daniel Webster Hwy. in Meredith; nhcrafts.org, 279-7920) will offer two Ukrainian Easter Egg classes with Shannon Wallis on Saturday, March 25 (classes are at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.), according to a press release. Learn the Ukrainian method of decorating eggs and create an egg to keep, the release said. The class costs $50 per student plus a $12 materials fee paid to the instructor on the day of the class, the release said. Sign up by Friday, March 17, by calling 279-7920 or go to meredith.nhcrafts.org/classes.

• Telling her story: Singer-songwriter Kimayo will perform at Bedford Presbyterian Church (4 Church Road in Bedford) on Sunday, March 5, at 5 p.m. as part of her “My Queer Faith” tour, according to a press release. The event is free (and open to adults and mature teens, the release said); reserve a spot at bit.ly/BPC-MQF-Concert.

• Jazz jam: Ted Herbert Music School, operated by the Majestic Theatre, will host an open mic jazz jam on Sunday, March 5, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. open to students and musicians of all ages and abilities, according to a press release. The cost to participate is $5, free for current Ted Herbert Music School Students. The jam will take place at the Ted Herbert Music School Majestic Theatre Studios (880 Page St. in Manchester), the release said. No signup is required, just show up with your instrument (drums, piano and guitar amp will be provided), the release said. For more on Ted Herbert, see tedherbert.com or call 669-7469.

• Luck be a lady: The Palace Youth Theatre is holding auditions for its May performances of Guys and Dolls Jr. on Monday, March 6, at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Forever Emma Studios (516 Pine St. in Manchester) according to a press release. The auditions are for performers in grades 2 through 12. Auditioners will be expected to stay for their entire one-hour slot and will learn a dance and be asked to sing after (a short section of a song), the release said. To schedule an audition time, email [email protected] with the performer’s name, age and preferred audition time, the release said.

Martiello on theremin
Chris Martiello will present a theremin concert on Friday, March 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Whipple Hall (25 Seamans Road in New London) with a Q&A and light refreshments to follow. See centerfortheartsnh.org.

• Young artist competition: The Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra is accepting applications for its annual young artist competition with the winning high school musician to perform at the June 11 concert with a full orchestra, according to a press release. The competition is open to high school students from New Hampshire (as well as the Seacoast region of Maine and Massachusetts) performing orchestral instruments, the release said. Send an audition video and application by March 15; finalists will perform before a live audience on Saturday, April 1, the release said. See portsmouthsymphony.org for information about how to apply.

• Crafting partnership: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) is partnering with the League of NH Craftsmen for a series of workshops with local master craft artists, according to a Currier email. The workshops will take place on the second Saturdays of the month from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, March 11, the class is “Tapestry Weaving Basics” with Lisa Almeia. Students will create images using a simple tapestry loom, according to the description. The class costs $125 and registration is open now. Future classes include “Basket Weaving” with Ruth Bolton on Saturday, April 8; “Jewelry Making” with Paulette Werger on Saturday, May 14, and “Soft Leather Cuff Bracelets” with Diane Louise Paul on Saturday, June 10, according to the website.

• Art camp: The Currier has also announced the themes and dates and opened registration for its summer arts camps for ages 6 to 14. The camps will cost $350 per week and run the weeks of June 26 (when the theme is “Air”), July 10 (“Earth”), July 24 (“Fire”), Aug. 7 (“Water”), and Aug. 14 (“Energy”). Go to currier.org to register and for more information. For more area day camps (and a few overnight ones), check out last week’s cover story in the Hippo. See hippopress.com to find the Feb. 23 e-edition; the story starts on page 12.

• Save the date: The 2nd annual Manchester Arts & Crafts Fair will be held Saturday, Aug. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Manchester, according to a press release. The event will feature more than 30 booths, food trucks, the Manchester City Library Bookmobile and an interactive art wall for kids run by Unchartered Tutoring, the release said. See manchesterartsandcraftsfair.com.

Vanities
Creative Ambitions Performance Studio of NH, a new professional theater company, will present its first production, the comedy-drama Vanities by Jack Heifner, at the Hatbox Theatre (Steeplegate Mall, 270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315), according to a press release. The show opens Friday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Sunday, March 19, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost $22 for adults; $19 for students and seniors, the release said. Courtesy photo.

• “I wish I were big”: Kids Coop Theatre will present Big, the Musical, based on the 1987 movie, featuring performers ages 8 to adults on Friday, March 17, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, March 18, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 19, at 1 p.m. at the Derry Opera House (29 West Broadway in Derry). Tickets cost $15 and are available at kidscooptheatre.ludus.com.

• Coming up at Gibson’s: Several author events have been added to the schedule for March and beyond at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 South Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562). Journalist Sherry Boschert will visit Gibson’s on Tuesday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss her book 37 Words: Title IX and Fifty Years of Fighting Sex Discrimination, according to a press release. Journalist and author Christine Kenneally will discuss her book Ghosts of the Orphanage: A Story of Mysterious Deaths, a Conspiracy of Silence and a Search For Justice (which looks at, among other places, St. Joseph’s, a Catholic orphanage in Vermont), at Gibson’s on Thursday, March 23, at 6:30 p.m., according to a press release. Author Hank Phillippi Ryan will present her latest thriller The House Guest and discuss her work with author Sarah Stewart Taylor on Wednesday, March 29, at 6:30 p.m., a press release said. Vermont authors Rebecca and Sallyann Majoya will come to Gibson’s on Wednesday, April 12, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss their shared memoir Uncertain Fruit: A Memoir of Infertility, Loss, and Love. Dennis Lehane will discuss his newest novel Small Mercies as part of a virtual author event with indie bookstores with Gillian Flynn on Tuesday, April 25, at 8 p.m. (sign up online for this ticketed virtual event). Find more upcoming author and book events in our book listings, this week on page 31.

• Irish afternoon: The Center for the Arts will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a performance of Irish music from the Sunapee Singers and Irish step dancing by the McGongale Irish Step Dancers on Sunday, March 19, at 4 p.m. at Whipple Town Hall in New London (on the corner of Main Street and Seamans Road), according to a press release. Tickets cost $18, $8 for students (children 5 and under are admitted free); purchase tickets at centerfortheartsnh.org or with cash or check at the door, the release said.

• History of the vote: Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters NH, will use historic photos and documents to discuss women’s journey to obtain the right to vote, from the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls to the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, on Tuesday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. at the Tracey Memorial Library (304 Main St. in New London), according to a press release. Reserve a spot by emailing [email protected].

In bloom
The New Hampshire Antique Co-op (323 Elm St. in Milford; 673-8499, nhantiquecoop.com) will present the show “In Full Bloom: Floral Still Life & Garden Paintings from the 19th Century to Present” Friday, March 24, through Thursday, Aug. 31. The exhibit will feature works from artists of the late 1800s to the present that capture spring and summer, according to a press release. A garden party opening reception will be held on Sunday, March 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. The Co-op is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• 400 years of Portsmouth history: The Pontine Theater will celebrate Portsmouth’s 400th anniversary with the original production Dearly Earned at Pontine’s 1845 Plains School House Theatre (1 Plains Ave. in Portsmouth; pontine.org). The play is based on Portsmouth’s 19th-century industrial history and the lives of workers, according to a press release. Shows are Friday, March 17, through Sunday, March 26. Shows will take place Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $29.

Mozart Sunday

Classical groups join to present Requiem

With the 100th anniversary of Symphony NH happening in April, the organization wanted to do something to celebrate its longstanding relationship with another classical music pillar of southern New Hampshire, the Nashua Choral Society.

“Thinking back to 2019, with everything that’s happened since then, lots have changed in four-plus years,” said Deanna Hoying, the executive director at Symphony NH.

The groups will be performing Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, a popular choice for full orchestras and choirs. The symphony performed the same piece in 2019, when it was hired by the choral society. This time, there are some differences.

To boost their numbers, Hoying said, the Nashua Choral Society invited the Nashoba Valley Chorale to perform with them. Another change is the location, with this concert taking place at the Immaculate Conception Church in Nashua.

“There’s a very different sound in a church facility than in a big concert hall,” said Hoying. “There’s something magical about hearing that work and singing that work in a church. I’m so grateful to have them; both choirs and church have been delightful to work with.”

A requiem is traditionally a Catholic mass for the dead, Hoying said. Preceding the piece, at first as a small joke, is Death of a Poet, a string orchestration composed in 2014 by TJ Cole, inspired by the poem written by Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov. Hoying said the symphony strives to pair contemporary, living composers with greats like Mozart.

Mozart’s Requiemis most famous for being a source of conspiracy theory by the music community, as it was the last piece he worked on before his death. In modern times, the piece was popularized by the movie Amadeus (PG, 1984), which follows the life of Mozart told through the viewpoint of his rival Antonio Salieri.

Hoying said this will be, in many ways, a more meaningful production of the mass than the performance in 2019. This performance will be part of the symphony’s centennial year, and it will be honoring the years of collaboration between the symphony and the Nashua Choral Society.

Even beyond that, the music will weigh heavier after the pandemic, Hoying said. She added that, even with the official end of pandemic-era restrictions, audiences have still been wary of coming out to shows. She hopes for the music to be cathartic and healing after years of isolation and loss.

“Everyone will have their own independent response, depending on their own experiences,” Hoying said. “There’s a level of joy that, for many of us during the pandemic, we missed that part. Even if it’s a requiem, there is such joy in this ability to recognize and move on.”

Mozart’s Requiem performed by the Symphony NH
Where: 216 East Dunstable Road, Nashua
When: Sunday, March 5, at 3 p.m.
Price: $45 for adults, $35 for seniors 65 and older, $10 for youth 10 to 17, $10 for students 27 and younger with valid identification, and free for youth younger than 10 accompanied by an adult.
Visit: symphonynh.org.

Featured photo: Symphony NH’s full orchestra. Courtesy photo.

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