Jeff Warner presents Granite Staters with songs from America’s past. He will be performing his program “Banjos, Bones, and Ballads” in Brentwood on Sunday, Nov. 10, and again in Lake Sunapee on Monday, Nov. 11.
“I’m working right now with New Hampshire Humanities in what they call their Humanities to Go program,” Warner said. “I get to do maybe 20 programs a year for nonprofit organizations under the aegis of the New Hampshire Humanities. I have four programs for them that I do since I’m an old-time musician or a folk singer, as you will.”
Each program features a specific theme of traditional music. “One is on old-time songs for kids, one is on old songs of New Hampshire, one is what I call ‘Banjos, Bones, and Ballads,’ which is an overview of American traditional music, and … logging songs and the history of logging in the Northeast. I’m New York City-bred, but I’ve been living in New Hampshire since 1997.”
The love of folk music was alive in his home when he was a child.
“I was raised by two people, my family, Anne and Frank Warner … who from early times in the ’30s were interested in collecting American traditional folk songs in rural eastern American places like the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina,” Warner said. Their musical archaeology drove them through the country. “They also found a great number of old songs from loggers in the Adirondack Mountains and then specifically to my program ‘Songs of Old New Hampshire’ here.”
One source was particularly valuable in New Hampshire.
“They met a woman named Lena Bourne Fish in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, in 1941. She had been born in 1879 and knew hundreds of old songs without being able to read music. She just knew them from memory … she learned in her family and community,” Warner said.
“So I worked with her repertoire that she taught. I work with that repertoire and other songs that I have learned about New England culture and New England history to form a program, ‘Songs of Old New Hampshire,’ that features Mrs. Fish as the central part in the songs that she sang, old world ballads and new songs formed in America.”
Warner can perform a capella, the way many of these songs were originally sung, or with accompaniment.
“I add on to it with old-time instruments that I play, which include banjo and guitar, English concertina, and a bunch of what I call pocket instruments, which are old-time instruments kids used to play, like bones and spoons.”
His “Banjos, Bones, and Ballads” program is a favorite.
“Banjos, because that’s fun. Bones, because it’s one of the instruments that I play, representing old-time instruments that didn’t cost a lot of money that people used to play, including kids,” Warner said.
“I love to show kids what other kids might have played in 1800 or 1900, including spoons and a little metal instrument you play with your teeth…. Little things like that that were simple and fun and kids used to play and I can play them and show them how to do it”
Warner has a clear purpose for what he does, he said, “wanting to make sure I give people a sense of how old-time songs were conveyed by word of mouth in days before radio and phonograph players, and how people tended to learn from their families and then sing the songs in their community, so that the big folk song revival, which happened in the 1960s and all, becoming commercial music with the Kingston Trio and Bob Dylan and all those, is a rarefied thing. Mostly these songs have just stayed on past an oral tradition, changing as they go from community to community and state to state, and becoming representative of those communities and states whence they came.”
Banjos, Bones, and Ballads Hosted by Brentwood Historical Society When: Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2:15 p.m. Where: Brentwood Historical Society Museum, 140 Crawley Falls Road, Brentwood
Hosted by Sunapee Seniors When: Monday, Nov. 11, at 1 p.m. Where: Lake Sunapee United Methodist Church, 9 Lower Main St.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• On stage: The Anselmain Abbey Players will present 12 Angry Jurors this weekend at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College in Manchester. The show will run Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $8 to $15. See tickets.anselm.edu.
• Murder on stage: Lend Me a Theater will present Mandate For Murder, a political satire murder mystery with audience interaction, at Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St., Derry, tupelomusichall.com) on Saturday, Nov. 9, when dinner is at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 10, when dinner is at 5 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. “It’s election night and all the friends and supporters of mayoral candidate Matthew Kensington are throwing him a surprise birthday/campaign party. But there’s one surprise no one suspects. An aide is found stabbed in the back with the birthday cake knife! ,” according to the description on the Tupelo’s website. Tickets are available for dinner and a show ($55) and just the show ($25). See lendmeatheater.org for more on the theater company.
• Small pieces with big ideas: The Mosaic Art Collective (66 Hanover St. in Manchester; mosaicartcollective.com) will present its new show “Small Wonders Miniature Art Show” Friday, Nov. 8, through Sunday, Dec. 22. The exhibition is described as “celebration of small-scale art that packs a big punch,” according to the website. A opening reception will be held Saturday, Nov. 9, from 4 to 8 p.m.
• More with the maestro: Symphony New Hampshire will present “Beethoven’s Third: Exploring Eroica,”on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, nashucenterforthearts.com). “I’ll dive into it and share insights into what made it so revolutionary and groundbreaking,” music director Roger Kalia told Michael Witthaus for the story in the Oct. 24 issue of the Hippo “We’re also going to play short pieces from other symphonies of Beethoven, some Mozart … works that inspired the Eroica,” he said in the article on page 14; find the issue in the digital library at hippopress.com. Tickets to Saturday’s show cost $32 to $67. See symphonynh.org.
• Count of Concord: Glen Rodgers, emeritus professor at Allegheny College and author of Traveling with the Atom: A Scientific Guide to Europe and Beyond, presents a lecture titled “Traveling with Count Rumford”on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m., recounting the scientific, economic, diplomatic and military accomplishments of the American-born Benjamin Thompson while tracing his footsteps across the United States and Europe, according to the website. “When he was ennobled by the Holy Roman Emperor in 1792, he chose to be named Rumford after one of the early names for Concord,” the website said. The lecture will be given at the New Hampshire Historical Society (30 Park St., Concord). Admission is $7. No registration required. See nhhistory.org.
• Beethoven and Liszt: On Thursday, Nov. 7, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Kyra Zhao will give the lecture “From Page to Performance: The Literary Influences in Beethoven and Liszt’s Iconic Piano Works”at the Concord Community School (23 Wall St., Concord). The talk willdelve into the intricate relationship between literature and music, highlighting how renowned composers such as Beethoven and Liszt drew profound inspiration from iconic literary works, according to the event website. Visit ccmusicschool.org.
The role of technology was an important element of Leonardo da Vinci’s genius, and it’s the focus of an upcoming event at Positive Street Art in Nashua. The free session will guide attendees in the use of camera obscura to create drawings. It will also include a 25-minute preview of Ken Burns’ new PBS documentary, Inside the Mind of a Genius. First clearly described in da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus, a 12-volume set that included diagrams of flying machines, camera obscura was a tool that employed the reflection of light through an aperture to make art in perfect perspective. The Dutch master Johannes Vermeer is said to have used it as an aid in his realistic paintings. If an object “is illuminated by the sun and a small hole is drilled in the wall of a room in a building facing this, which is not directly lighted by the sun, then [those objects] will send their images through this aperture and will appear, upside down, on the wall facing the hole,” da Vinci wrote. “You will catch these pictures on a piece of white paper.” Four artists will lead the proceedings: Amara Phelps, Seana McDuffie, Cecilia Ulibarri and Yasamin “Yaz” Safarzadeh. They have diverse backgrounds; Phelps fronts alt-rock band Cozy Throne and is also a freelance writer, McDuffie is an ex-Marine and self-described “vibes stylist,” Ulibarri is Positive Street’s co-founder, and Safarzadeh is a painter, writer and the coordinator of Inspired By Leonardo da Vinci. In a recent phone interview Safarzadeh explained the event, offered in partnership with PBS. It’s part of an ongoing series that aims to spark creativity through “watching a film of the chosen famous artist and/or joining a creative painting session to explore inspiration through the artist’s/culture’s style and history,” according to an ad on the organization’s website. “We’ll be leading them into making these viewfinders, and then having them go find their own setting within this scene, whether it’s people or the geometry of the architecture, so they can really take these tools that scientists and Renaissance men were using, and use them themselves. Maybe these powers of observation can then influence them in their lives.” Safarzadeh looks at camera obscura as a path to creative intersectionality. “People really do themselves a disservice by not pulling the maths and the sciences into their artmaking,” she said. “We could really strengthen our creative economy and our practices by … dispelling some of this.” It’s wrong to call it a cheating tool, she continued. Camera obscura is a means to an end, and the human eye will always capture more than technology can. “You look at the Vermeer, those shadows, those hues, it’s because he looked at it through this camera obscura,” she said. “This breaks down a really scary notion … a crowd of people, a person sitting, or whatever. The audience will capture in their viewfinder, in their little pinhole, break it down into a much simpler structure that they can then document.” This method builds a bridge that goes both ways. It helps artists who are challenged by mathematics, and the more analytical types who are trying to find their way to creativity. For someone who is mathematically inclined, camera obscura can help them find their way to art by understanding the role of their discipline in art. The event continues Positive Street Art’s mission of bringing art to a wide range of people. One reason there are four instructors is to allow groupings; each cluster reflects different outlooks, with no more than a dozen in each. “We serve so many different demographics,” Safarzadeh said. “You need to discover your own voice through the materials … it’s going to be based on the individual, what’s going to come out of it.”
Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci When: Friday, Nov. 8, 6 p.m. Where: Positive Street Art, 48 Bridge St., third floor, Nashua Tickets: Free (donations accepted) at tinyurl.com/3pjsvsbp
Featured image: Camera Obscura Diagram, c. 1646 by Athanasius Kircher (from WikiMedia Commons)
Looking to spend a few hours in some place calm and full of nature, not screens? Here are a few places to take a refreshing walk in the great outdoors.
New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center trails
Where: 26 Audubon Way in Auburn
More info: nhaudubon.org/lands/sanctuaries/massabesic-wildlife-sanctuary
Kimberly Whiteman, Massabesic Center Director for New Hampshire Audubon, spoke to the Hippo about the trails at Lake Massabesic as well as other Audubon locations and a couple of other areas around Manchester.
“I am primarily based here in Auburn,” Whiteman said. “I also work out in Concord occasionally with the management team and staff. We’re a big family here at New Hampshire Audubon.”
What are the Massabesic trails like? “We have a network of trails that connect to Manchester Waterworks trails. So on our peninsula there are about 7 miles of walking trails depending on which route you take. New Hampshire Audubon really only stewards directly about a mile of those trails primarily through our field. Our fields and our sanctuary are not dog-friendly and we don’t permit bicycles or motorized vehicles, to help protect the integrity of the wildlife sanctuary, but Manchester Water Works trails do allow bicycles, horses and leash dogs and we let folks use our parking lot to access those trails as long as they hit them from the main road and not through our sanctuary.”
The 49-acre sanctuary was acquired in 1993 and features trail access to Lake Massabesic, as well as a variety of upland habitats including mixed forests and open fields, according to the organization. The fields are managed for grassland nesting birds, while nest boxes are actively managed for tree swallows and eastern bluebirds
It is a common practice to name trails after colors.“We currently have two trails that we really have named, the Yellow Trail and the Red Trail, which you can connect to from the field trails,” she said.
The Massabesic Center is creating a new trail with wheelchair accessibility that should be finished by May 2025. “That’s going to be great because it’s going to provide wheelchair access and stroller access through the field,” Whiteman said. “We’re calling it ‘all persons’ because things that are accessible for folks in a wheelchair are also accessible for folks with strollers or [those who] just need an easy, flat surface for whatever reason. It’s so important to have access to nature.”
There are interesting sights around Massabesic.
“The Red Trail goes through our field here to the lake to a point called Blueberry Point. And it gives you great views over the water,” she said. “You’ll pass an old osprey blind on the way, which is a really cool building that has fun facts about ospreys. It used to overlook an osprey nest that was blown down in a storm several years ago, but it still gives you great views of wildlife on the water.” The whole loop is a manageable size at “about a mile and a half round trip,” according to Whiteman.
“The Yellow Trail goes out to Battery Point, which culminates in a view of the lake, of course, but also there’s an old historical structure … there’s old ruins out there. We have found a few artifacts related to farming. An old horse bit, stuff like that. There’s an eagle nest on Lake Massabesic, so we’ll see them flying over periodically. We have had bobcat sightings here over the past few months,” she said.
Lots of animals, such as otters, are at Massabesic. “We had babies in our pond about two years ago and we had a family of weasels that were living around this building vicinity last summer that our camp kids got to see. So that was really cool,” she said.
Birds are plentiful at the Audubon among the mammals. “We do see a Baltimore oriole nest in this elm tree almost every year. This year there was a really cool tree that had obvious signs of porcupine. Porcupines will eat wood just like beavers do. When you’re hiking the trails and you keep your eyes open you start noticing those little hints of wildlife activity which are really cool to see,” Whiteman said.
It’s a spot for hawk lovers too. “There is a pair of red-shouldered hawks that nest here every year and they tend to stick around in the winter, which is unusual. So we’ll get folks that see the e-bird records and notice there’s red-shouldered hawk sightings and they’ll come in and question us about it because they don’t believe it. I wouldn’t classify it as a rarity, but it’s not common,” she said. Visitors can catch them if they take the Red Trail.
All Persons Trail Base Layer at Massabesic in October 2024. Photo by Lew Shelley.
McLane Center
Where: 84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, 224-9909
More info: nhaudubon.org/lands/sanctuaries/silk-farm-wildlife-sanctuary
The Audubon at the McLane Center has trails at its Silk Farm Wildlife Sanctuary.
“I want to say like three loops, including Wendy’s Loop, their all-persons trail, which was completed about a year ago. They’ve got a good network too, and their trails also connect to trails that aren’t owned by New Hampshire Audubon. You can probably hit up 6 or 7 miles of trails out there as well,” Whiteman said.
In addition to Wendy’s Loop there are the Great Turkey Pond Loop and Field Loop as well as Old Orchard Trail and West End Farm Trail, which is more than 7 miles long. “These trails follow the same kind of stipulation of only foot traffic,” Whiteman said.
“Their all-persons trail was completed a year ago, so they have a mile-long loop that is completely wheelchair-accessible and is also great because it takes you through so many different habitats,” Whiteman said.
One trail of particular interest is the Great Turkey Pond Loop. “That takes you out to the lake [and] is beautiful. So you start in the pollinator meadow and there’s just a smorgasbord of bees and butterflies and meadow birds and great plants out there. You can see the milkweed and sunflowers and then you’ll start going into the understory where you get a mix of forest birds like warblers and not a birder. I know we’ve had wood thrushes out there,” she said.
The extraordinary wildlife sightings continue. “Then you’ll go under an American Chestnut Reforestation Area, which is really neat to see. And then if you hang a right and go off the All Persons Trail, that’ll take you down to Turkey Pond, where you can see wildlife like beavers. We get eagle sightings there,” Whiteman said.
Charismatic megafauna drop by too. “McLane has had a bobcat sighting almost daily for the past week and we actually had a moose, a young bull moose, go through McLane Center about a month ago,” she said.
Ponemah Bog
Where: Rhodora Drive, Amherst
More info: nhaudubon.org/lands/sanctuaries/ponemah-bog
According to NH Audubon, the name “Ponemah” is derived from the Ojibwe language and refers to the “land of the hereafter.” The 75-acre Ponemah Bog Wildlife Sanctuary came under the protection of New Hampshire Audubon in 1979 through Dr. and Mrs. Homer McMurray and local friends of the Sanctuary.
Jack Gleason Memorial Viewing Platform at Ponemah Bog. Photo courtesy of NH Audubon Archives.
The Ponemah Bog Wildlife Sanctuary features a 3-acre pond surrounded by a floating sphagnum moss mat and encircled by upland oak-pine woods, according to The Nature Conservancy.
“It is a prime example of a bog,” Whiteman said. “Your typical New Hampshire bog. So the boardwalk is not wheelchair-friendly but it is flat. It’s just two boards that are next to each other across the bog mat. But they’ve got wonderful examples of carnivorous sundews, and we do have the same stipulation there that we have at all of our sanctuaries. We ask folks to just use their eyes and leave no trace … when they’re visiting and not disturb wildlife, which is also why we don’t permit dogs.”
Evidence of critters is easily found. “You can probably see, you know, fox scat on that boardwalk, especially in the wintertime when the tracks are really visible, the scat’s visible, you’ll get raccoons and foxes up on the boardwalk at Ponemah,” she said.
Nature is never closed.
“The McLane and Massabesic are open year-round. Our buildings have hours Wednesday through Saturday from 11 to five.The trails of all of our sanctuaries are open every single day of the year from sunrise to sunset. We’re all free to visit,” Whitemand said. “We have another center in Hebron, the Newfound Center, which is seasonal from about Memorial Day to Labor Day.”
Manchester Cedar Swamp
Where: Hackett Hill section of Manchester, on the west side of the Merrimack River; the public parking lot is on Countryside Boulevard.
More info: nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/manchester-cedar-swamp-preserve
The Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve is 640 acres and is the largest conservation area in the city, according to The Nature Conservancy.
There are 1.8 miles of trails. That includes the universally accessible Cedar Swamp All Persons Trail. Visitors can encounter shady hemlock groves, giant rhododendron patches and “the globally rare Atlantic white cedar swamps that are the preserve’s namesake,” with some trees that are more than 450 years old.
“[The Nature Conservancy] installed that trail,” Whiteman said. “We have taken field trips out there with our staff because it’s a beautiful trail. It was done with a big budget and as much as we can learn from that trail and implement those ideas into our trail, we’re all meeting the same goal with providing access to nature.”
The trail contains tidbits of historical information along the way. “So they’ve got some really great signage, interpretive signage about the history of the land and how it relates to indigenous features and the wildlife. Their trail’s a lot longer than ours are. They’ve got great bridges and benches.”
Other little but practical touches make the Manchester Cedar Swamp Preserve a nifty adventure. “One of the things I really love about the Nature Conservancy’s trail at Cedar Swamp is that they have a boot scrubber as you’re entering their trail and some signage about protecting the property from invasive plant species, seeds that can travel in on your shoes. They encourage people to scrub their shoes before they hit the trails, which is really neat.”
Livingston Park
Where: 244 Hooksett Road, Manchester
More info: manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Parks/Livingston-Park
Livingston Park comprises 131 acres in Manchester’s North End and is a great option for those with furry friends or all-person access. “That’s something that I like to tell people,” Whiteman said. “When they’re looking for all-persons access in the area, and they have dogs.”
The park includes a playground and athletic fields, as well as Dorrs Pond, which is where the walking trail is. The trail loops around Dorrs Pond and offers a small sampling of wildlife.
“The unpaved walking and running trail loops around Dorrs Pond [are] approximately 10 feet wide and 0.9 miles long. The trail includes elevated boardwalks through wetlands and access to fishing and boating,” according to the City website.
“It’s really busy with people there. My observations have primarily been like waterfowl and small rodents like squirrels, chipmunks, things like that that are really well-adapted to people,” Whiteman said.
Whiteman hopes Granite Staters go to as many trails as possible. “If somebody hasn’t come out to hike them, come on out and hike all of those trails, you know, not just New Hampshire Audubon’s, but it’s good to get a feel of different wildlife in your community. What you’re going to see at Livingston is going to be different from what you’re going to see here [at Massabesic] and what you’re going to see in Concord.”
“It’s crazy just how much wildlife you can see in the heart of Manchester. You don’t expect to think that there’s otters or beavers right in your backyard,” she said.
Along the Derry Rail Trail. Photo by Zachary Lewis.
Beaver Brook Association
Where: 117 Ridge Road, Hollis
More info: 465-7787, beaverbrook.org
Brandon Rackliffe has been the Natural Resource Manager at Beaver Brook for about 11 years.
“We’re a nonprofit and privately run,” Rackliffe said. “It’s just all open for the general public to come and hike. We do have classes here as well, so you can join and take part in classes as well as summer camp and home-school programs”
He estimates the trail mileage there at “roughly, we’ve always said about 35 miles.”
Rackliffe oversees trail maintenance at Beaver Brook. “Everything is well-defined and easily accessible,” he noted. “Nothing is too bad that you have to be an expert to hike it.”
You can pick your starting point. “We have seven or eight parking lots that you can park at, different trailheads. I highly recommend picking up a map before you come or before you start a hike and definitely planning ahead. That way you don’t take the wrong turn or anything like that. Everything is well-marked.”
Depending on the trail, visitors could bring a bike or even their horse.
“We do have hiking-only trails as well as multi-use trails, which entail biking and horses as well, but we don’t allow anything motorized, including e-bikes,” Rackliffe said. “Every trail has a name. They’re marked in either yellow triangles or blue rectangles that indicate either multi-use or hiking only, and everything also has trail plaques.”
With all the trail options, plenty of maintenance work is called for. “We have a wonderful group of volunteers that take over and take ownership of certain trails to maintain and monitor. And those volunteers are the heart and soul of Beaver Brook. They really put in their time and effort to help maintain some of the trails to an extent,” he said.
“Quite a few of our trails are popular, our parking lots pretty much always have somebody in them any time of day. … our main campus, where our office is, the Cow Lane is probably one of the premier trails that we have here.” Portions of Cow Lane, Wildflower Trail and Lower Meadow Trail allow for wheelchair access.
Visitors are offered a glimpse into the state’s past. “A lot of our trails are old wood roads, you know, historical wood roads back in the day when Hollis was a much smaller town. So you can see evidence of old cellar holes and things like that, old bridge crossings or anything of that nature.”
Wildlife is varied here, Rackliffe said, “anything from deer to bear to moose, along with the small mammals and birds and things like that. We have all kinds of frogs, blue herons. I’ve seen all kinds of ducks. I’ve seen rare ducks in some of our ponds, plenty of bobcat. I’ve seen those plenty of times kicking around.”
According to Rackliffe, every trail offers something of interest, “which would be why we made the trail there in the first place. There’s a Jeff Smith trail that runs nine miles from Pepperell all the way up to Beaverbrook. We own the last third or half of the trail. And that runs through many other organizations. Everything is protected under easement.”
Gardens are also open at Beaver Brook. The Maple Hill Gardens are at the main campus, and tours and presentations are available with a reservation. These are 13 themed gardens, a natural play area, a demonstration compost court, picnic areas and a wildflower trail, according to the organization.
Mine Falls Park trail. Photo by Zachary Lewis.
Mine Falls Park
Where: There are multiple parking lots at and near the park, with one entry at Whipple Street
More info: nashuanh.gov/491/Mine-Falls-Park 589-3370
According to the City of Nashua, the park’s name came from an island underneath the waterfalls that allegedly contained a lead mine in the 18th century.
The park trails were added to the New Hampshire Heritage Trail system, which is 130 miles and follows the Merrimack River from Massachusetts to Canada.
There are six color-coded trails that vary in length around the park. The longest is the Blue Trail at 2.94 miles and the shortest is the Orange, which comes in at 0.38 miles. The Green is 1.96 miles long and the Red Trail is 1.40 miles. The Purple and Yellow Trails are both under a mile.
Patty Bernard and her husband Alan are frequent visitors to the trails at Mine Falls Park. “We like coming here because they have a lot of paved trails. It’s great because he has his motor scooter now,” she said. “So it gets him out and about. This is nice scenery. You’ve got the river, and then sometimes we go to the dam, the picnic table’s there, and we’ll pack a lunch, sit by and watch people kayak, canoe, boating, just to change the scenery.”
Wildlife is a part of that scenery. “We see turtles, beavers, nothing major now,” she said.
The paths take you straight through Nashua. “They put the first high school up and that’s what started everything and made it all connected. One in North Nashua, so you can actually walk from one to the other if you had to,” Alan said. “It’s a good distance.”
Multiple entrances add ease of access as well. “There’s different entrances to the park, which is nice. You can get access from downtown Nashua; over by the high school, Nashua South; over by Hannaford — that’s where we pulled in, over by Hannaford,” Patty said.
Mine Falls Park has many options for getting outside. “Great for dog walkers.We used to bike the trails, which was pretty cool,” she said.
“It’s a fun place to go. I mean, we’re still doing it,” Alan said.
“Every chance we get,” Patty added.
Rail Trail in Derry
Where: Hood Park, 4 Rollins St., Derry
The Rail Trail criss-crosses all across New Hampshire, and Derry contains a 3.6-mile paved chunk of it that crosses through trees and wetlands, according to Trail Link at traillink.com.
The trail quickly enters into a wooded area and eventually crosses Beaver Brook over a stone arch bridge. The middle of the bridge is known as Lover’s Leap, although the origin for that name is unknown.
The paved section of trail ends in Hood Park and its pond contains multiple species of fish and is stocked annually with brook trout and rainbow trout. The trail along the west side of Hood Pond continues on a dirt path for another 0.3 mile until the path ends.
The Derry Rail Trail connects to the Windham Rail Trail on its south side and in the future will connect with the Londonderry Rail Trail, according to the Southern New Hampshire Planning Commission.
Hikers can park at Hood Park or at the Merchants Row lot in Derry, which has two-hour free parking and is more accessible for those using mobility aids or strollers.
Douglas Lowney, a resident of Methuen, is a big fan of the Derry Rail Trail. “Look at the beauty,” he said in reference to the lake and woodland covered path around him. “It’s like this the whole time. It doesn’t matter what time of year you’re here. It’s lovely. … I try to come three or four days a week. It’s like heaven.”
Lowney rides what he calls “a stand-up bike. I ride this about 20 miles I guess. It’s paved all the way. It goes all the way to Salem. And then it goes all the way down [Route] 28 past Walmart.”
Wildlife abounds as well. “See the beaver down there?” he asked.
The trail is perfect for those looking for the tranquility as well as the awesomeness of nature. “There’s all sorts of beautiful things here. In the fall, this is spectacular. It’s like it’s on fire,” Lowney said. The leaves “come tumbling down into the waters like it’s snowing. It’s beautiful. And the folks that take care of this trail do a good job,” he said.
No matter how Lowney is feeling, the Derry Rail Trail is restorative for him. “Even when I don’t feel good, I’m actually good when I come here. It’s very therapeutic.”
White Park
Where: 1 White St., Concord
More info: concordnh.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/White-Park-21
According to the the City of Concord, White Park came to life in 1884 when the land it sits on was conveyed to the city by Armenia White for her late husband Nathaniel, who was a founder of The American Express Co., and the park itself was designed by architect Charles Elliott in 1888.
The Park extends from Eastman Baseball Field to the Monkey Around Playground, with various walking paths and a big loop around White Park Pond, which is filled with lots of ducks, koi fish, and frogs. The Pond becomes an outdoor skating rink during the winter months.
The Monkey Around Playground is the largest in Concord. It’s a giant wooden castle structure that is a lot of fun for little Granite Staters.
A couple of Franklin Pierce School of Law employees, Rachael Lefurge and Alexa Bobinski, were enjoying the park on a gray November weekday.
“I really enjoy walking around. It’s a nice break from my work day. There’s always a lot of people walking around. It’s really nice to work with the pond on a beautiful day,” Lefurge said.
“Yeah, I feel like it’s very beautiful no matter what season it is. It’s always very pretty. There’s always a lot of people here and wildlife,” Bobinski added.
“I usually see ducks,” Lefurge said. Even when the ducks eventually leave the Pond, the trails will still be filled with dogs and squirrels.
“It’s nice to get up and walk around a little bit and have some nice scenery just in the middle of Concord,” Bobinksi said.
Leah Dearborn, author of Grenier Air Base: A Beacon On the Home Front, will speak and sign copies of her book tonight at 7 p.m. at the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org). The book explores the history and significance of Grenier Air Base, a military facility that occupied the site of today’s Manchester-Boston Regional Airport from World War II through the Vietnam era. Admission costs $10 per person. Copies of the book, which is priced at $35 per copy, will be available at the discounted price of $25 per copy for attendees
Friday, Nov. 8
Cirque Kalabante’s Afrique en Cirque, a show by Yamoussa Bangoura inspired by daily life in Guinea, will take place tonight at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com) at 7:30 p.m. This performance shares the beauty, youth and artistry of African culture.Tickets start at $48 through the Capitol Center’s website.
Saturday, Nov. 9
Art ’Round the Room is a speed-dating-style event geared toward adults but about art not dating. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit timed stations around the room and experience oil paints, acrylic paints, watercolor, pastels, charcoals, collage, cross-stitch and printmaking with guidance from professional artists. It will take place from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at Derryfield School (2108 River Road, Manchester, 669-4524, derryfield.org). Tickets cost $40. Visit creativegutspodcast.org.
Saturday, Nov. 9
After two private playtests, New Hampshire startup business Novel Antics has announced the first public playtest of its live-action medieval siege game For King and Castle, today beginning at 1 p.m. at St. Anthony’s Field (275 S. Taylor St., Manchester). Teams of four will take territory progressing toward storming a castle before a rival team can storm theirs. This event is free and open to the public. Visit novelantics.com.
Saturday, Nov. 9
The Giles Series will present a Veterans Day Concert by the NH 39th Army Band tonight at 7 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com).This event is free, but reservations are highly recommended.
Monday, Nov. 11
The Manchester Veterans Day Parade will take place this morning. According to the Manchester Police Department, the official start time will be 11 a.m., but road closures will begin around 9:30 a.m
Tuesday, Nov. 12
Cartoonist, musician and educator Marek Bennett will present “Rally Round the Flag: The American Civil War Through Folksong,” at the Salem Historical Society (310 Main St., Salem) today at 7 p.m. Through camp songs, parlor music, hymns, battlefield rallying cries, and fiddle tunes, Bennett will examines the folksong, according to nhhumanities.org.
Save the Date: Friday, Nov. 15 The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus is coming to the SNHU Arena (555 Elm St., Manchester, 644-5000, snhuarena.com) Friday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m. and 3 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 17, at noon. Witness a fast-paced, action-packed production with modernized acts on a scale never seen before creating real connections between audiences and performers. Tickets start at $19.
Featured photo: The Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.
In an Oct. 1 press release the City of Nashua announced that it is raising the price of parking in a metered space as well as the cost of tickets for parking violations. “Parking meter rates will see an adjustment across the three existing zones and the addition of a fourth zone,” the press release read. The new rates will range from 75¢ to $4 per hour. Parking violations will cost anywhere from $15 for an expired meter to $250 for a handicapped parking violation. The press release quoted Parking Manager Jill Stansfield: “These updates are designed to improve the overall parking experience for residents, businesses, and visitors.”
QOL score: -1
Comment: The changes will take effect on Jan.1, 2025.
It’s a good sign
It’s a fun election story! As reported in an Oct. 30 online story by WMUR, Goffstown resident Andy Brown’s lawn has been sporting a campaign-style sign that reads, “Andy Brown, not Running for anything, just wanted a sign.” Brown told WMUR that the sign wasn’t expensive, so he ordered it on the spur of the moment.
QOL score: +1
Comment: “The initial sign was partially a prank on Brown’s wife, Erin Marchal,” the story read. “I don’t actually know how long it was [up],” she told WMUR. “I’m told it was weeks.”
Still 603
As reported in an Oct. 31 press release by the Governor’s office, “Governor Chris Sununu announced that following his “Don’t Overload the Code” Executive Order, federal regulators have updated the projected exhaustion date for the 603 area code to the third quarter of 2029.” This extension was part of the Governor’s “Don’t Overload the Code” initiative. He directed the State Department of Energy to look into strategies to preserve the current area code, and directed the Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) to complete a study on the costs of implementing a new area code.
QOL score: +1
Comment: “The 603 area code has incredible symbolic and economic value for New Hampshire and we have taken tremendous strides to protect it,” the Governor said in a statement.
A moving picture
The Yankee Flyer Diner mural has found a new, indoor home in the Nashua City Hall Building, according to a Nov. 1 article on Nashua Ink Link. The mural, a 10- by 28-foot elaborate still-life of the Yankee Flyer Diner, which was a fixture in Nashua from 1930 to the mid-1960s, was painted in 1997 by Nashua native James Aponovich, the article said. Aponovich and his wife Beth restored the seven-panel mural over the summer.
QOL score: +1
Comment: This is the second restoration for the mural, which was last refreshed in 2015, according to the report. After its first restoration, the mural was returned to Main Street across from City Hall, where the original diner was located. This time the mural has been moved indoors, to a wall in the City Hall Auditorium, the article said.
QOL score: 77
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 79
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