Tag: 260702

Now with gelato

A changing of the guard at the Bakeshop on Kelley Street

After more than 15 years, Denise Nickerson, the owner of The Bakeshop on Kelley Street in Manchester has sold her business and retired. The Bakeshop’s final day of business was June 26. The good news is that a new food business is set to take over the space at 171 Kelley St. within the week.

Karsyn’s Gelato and Bakeshop plan to open Wednesday, July 8. Owner Brooke Viviers said that while the focus of the new shop will be in a slightly different direction, fans of the Bakeshop on Kelley Street’s baked goods will not be left hungry.

“My plans are to keep a lot of Denise’s baked goods,” she said, “but gelato is going to be our main seller. So we’re going to have gelato. We plan to make gelato cakes, sundaes, and we’re also thinking about serving smoothie bowls as well. I’ve talked with Denise about what her best sellers are and what people constantly come in here for. I want to try to keep that here so we’re not taking everything away that Denise does, but changing it up a bit.”

Gelato is a lot like ice cream, Viviers said — a sort of close Italian cousin to it.

“Gelato is prepared a little bit differently,” she said. “It actually has a much lower sugar content. but it’s made with milk instead of cream, so you think maybe it won’t be as creamy as ice cream because there’s less fat, but it’s very creamy and it’s softer; it’s kept at a higher temperature so it’s not as hard as regular ice cream.”

Viviers’ plan is to carry a large variety of gelato.

“We’re going to have 18 flavors to start,” she said. “We’ll have more than 18 flavors available from where we get the gelato from, but we’re going to rotate and see what sells the best. When we have a good idea of what [our customers] like the best, we’ll have some flavors that will probably always stay and then we’ll rotate some as well.”

Gelato is a family business for Viviers.

“My family has been in the bakery — and now gelato — business for the past eight years now,” she said. “My brother [Zack Smith] started selling gelato in his bakery [in Methuen, Mass.] three or four years ago, and since then, he’s acquired a couple more locations where he’s trying to do more gelato and not as many baked goods, and kind of steering more toward the frozen side of things. He built a relationship with the owner of [gelato maker] Dolce Freddo, and asked if he could sell it at his bakery, and that’s kind of how it happened. I moved to Manchester when I was dating my husband. We’re now married, but we have a home in Manchester, in the North End area, and I’ve been here for about six years now.”

Viviers said the gelato flavors at Karsyn’s [named after her new son] will be familiar to her customers.

“We’ll have a lot of standard flavors,” she said, “like chocolate, vanilla, we have a Nutella, Reese’s, and a cannoli flavor. We plan to do like a special cannoli sundae, cannoli ice cream cakes, that kind of thing. With mascarpone. We’ll keep Denise’s recipe, for cannoli filling, so it’ll be like, we’ll still sell cannolis like Denise does here, but we’re going to make cakes and sundaes out of it.”

“That said, we have an amazing pistachio gelato,” she said. “And maybe rum-raisin.”

Karsyn’s Gelato and Bakeshop
Where: 171 Kelley St., Manchester
When: Starting Wednesday, July 8, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Featured photo: Denise Nickerson, owner of The Bakeshop on Kelley Street, demonstrates her style of cake decorating to Brooke Viviers, the owner of Karsyn’s Gelato and Bakeshop, which will open in the same space at 171 Kelley St. in Manchester on Wednesday, July 8.

The Weekly Dish 26/7/02

• A new farmers market: According to a recent press release by Hampton’s Lane Memorial Library, there is a new farmers market in Hampton. “The Hampton Farmers Market is a new market in Hampton, NH with a mission to provide a community space for local farms and artisans to vend their products,” the announcement read. For its initial season, the market will run from July 11 to Aug. 8. All market dates are on Saturdays, from 2 to 5 p.m. at 19 Academy Ave, near the library. The market will be held rain or shine. Visit hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton-farmers-market.

• Making batch cocktails: Tuscan Market (Tuscan Village, 9 Via Toscana, Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) will host a class from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, teaching the art of making batch cocktails designed for summer parties and backyard barbecue. In this interactive class, guests will learn how to craft three crowd-friendly cocktails that are easy to prep ahead of time and serve in large batches. Afterward enjoy fireworks on the Tuscan Market Lawn. The cost is $64.74 through the Tuscan Brands website.

• BVI terrace party: The Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will host a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with an evening of festivities on its Fondi Terrace Thursday, July 2, from 5 to 9 p.m. There will be a live grill station serving a special outdoor menu featuring sausage and peppers (served on a fresh roll or paired with pasta), a variety of grilled skewers, pasta salad and more. There will also be a festive spritz bar. No tickets are required to attend, but registering for the event will help guests save the event to their calendar. Guests are welcome to stop by throughout the evening and enjoy the festivities.

• New brew: Shoreline Vodka Lemonade is now on draft at 603 Brewery & Beer Hall 42 Main St. in Derry, according to a brewery newsletter. 603’s hard lemonade has an alcohol by volume of 5 percent, the newsletter said. The newsletter also announced 603’s New England Strawberry Wheat, a beer with a 5.2 percent ABV. 603 will head to Meredith on Thursday, July 23, to celebrate National Lemonade day: “Join us at Town Docks … from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., where we will be sampling our collaboration with the Common Man, Big Lake Vodka Lemonade! … enjoy live music, swag giveaways, product samples, and of course the usual great food and drink offerings from Town Docks!” the newsletter said. See 603brewery.com.

Treasure Hunt 26/07/02

Dear Donna,

This blow dryer belonged to my mom. I can remember her using it on my sister and my own hair. It still actually works, although I wouldn’t want to use it. The heat from it is pretty intense. Does anyone collect such items?

Thank you, Donna, in advance.

Denise

Dear Denise,

OK, can I start with that my mom also had one and used it on my hair as well. LOL

This handheld style has been around since the early 1900s. Yours is from the 1950s ish.

Can you believe hair dryers have been around since the late 1800s, when they were invented?

There were several manufacturers and colors of a similar style to yours. Different colors, stainless steel, and with stands as well.

The values today I would think are for decorative and nostalgic reasons, and some repurposing reasons as well. I personally wouldn’t want to use it either. The heat is intense and I can’t even imagine the electrical cost! Also the cord could have age drying damage to the wiring.

Values are in the range of $30+ in good clean working condition. Some styles bring a little more for unusual colors, bases etc.

Denise, thanks for sharing and putting a smile on my face.

Kiddie Pool 26/07/02

Family fun for whenever

Summer of theater

• Catch the first production from a Palace Youth Theatre Summer Camp, featuring performers in grades 2 through 12, at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, on Thursday, July 2, and Friday, July 3, with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, according to palacetheatre.org, where you can purchase tickets. The production is a 60-minute version, according to the website.

• The Palace Theatre’s 2026 Bank of New Hampshire Children’s Summer Series kicks off the next week with Peter Pan Jr.running Tuesday, July 7, through Friday, July 10, with shows Tuesday through Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. and Fridays at 10 a.m., all at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St. in Manchester, according to palacetheatre.org, where you can purchase tickets.

Game time

• The Nashua Silver Knights have several upcoming games at Holman Stadium in Nashua, according to nashuasilverknights.com, where you can purchase tickets. In addition to the 10:30 a.m. game on Saturday, July 4, against the Norwich Sea Unicorns, the Silver Knights will play the Lowell Spinners on Monday, July 6, at 6:03 p.m. and then face the Vermont Lake Monsters both Tuesday, July 7, and Wednesday, July 8, at 6:03 p.m., the website said.

• The NH Fisher Cats play a series of games against the Portland Sea Dogs Tuesday, July 7, through Sunday, July 12, according to milb.com/new-hampshire, where you can purchase tickets. Games Tuesday through Saturday start at 6:03 p.m. and Sunday’s game starts at 1:05 p.m. On Tuesday, July 7, and Sunday, July 12, the first 500 fans each day will receive bobbleheads #1 (July 7) and #2 (July 12) in the three-bobblehead Manchester Chicken Tenders series, the website said. On Tuesday the team plays as the Manchester Chicken Tenders and on Sunday the team will play as the Manchester Buffalo Tenders, the website said. On Wednesday, July 8, the first 500 fans can get a Coca-Cola Soccer Jersey, the website said.

Celebrating the Fourth and the 250th

Pet parades, bicycle parades and parade parades over the holiday weekend

Jennifer Kretovic is the Ward 3 Concord City Councilor and a trustee for the Concord Historical Society. She is also the co-chair of Concord’s semiquincentennial/tricentennial committee. All that means that she has a very good seat to view the city’s Fourth of July Weekend celebrations, she said.

“We have so much going on!” she said. “And this is a great way to celebrate all that the State of New Hampshire and the City of Concord has contributed to our rich history. In 1726, King George II declared that the Massachusetts settlers could settle in New Hampshire. And Concord was peeled out as one of these settlement communities along with seven other communities; there were eight in total. There are all kinds of very rich stories about those first settlement years in a culture that wasn’t prepared for winter, in a culture that wasn’t prepared for sandy soil, that wasn’t prepared for granite, and they really had to work together in order to survive and thrive. But the interesting thing is that there were already settlers here.”

And of course, Kretovic said, 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“So on July 4, the City of Concord is going to host a parade on Main Street. It is welcome to anybody in the state that would like to come. There are events that are happening at the Statehouse Plaza. The intent is when the parade ends, people can come to the Statehouse Plaza. They will have speakers, the Lafayette reenactors, the New Hampshire Pipe and Drum Corps will be there. We have the Nevers Band that will be on City Plaza, so there’ll still be music for people to enjoy. The Statehouse is going to be open for tours on that Saturday, July 4. It is an amazing opportunity for people because the Statehouse is not typically open on Saturdays for tours. This really is a gem moment. If anybody wants to see and do the historic tour, this is the time to do it. The New Hampshire Historical Society is also going to be open at 11 [a.m.] so that people can attend and go to their museum and see everything that they have on display as well. The City of Concord, later on in the day, we’re doing an old-fashioned baseball game at Memorial Field. It’s the American Legion baseball game, and we hope people will come see it. that. And then of course our Fourth of July fireworks at dusk. As soon as the sun goes down and it’s dark enough for the fireworks, we will do the fireworks. We typically have between 10 and 15 thousand people that attend the fireworks. We would hope to have the same amount of people that attend the parade in the morning.”

Communities throughout New Hampshire will celebrate Independence Day over the coming weekend. These are some of the festivities:

The Town of Amherst will host a fireworks display celebration on Thursday, July 2, beginning at 5 p.m., with local food vendors, music, and entertainment before the fireworks kick off at 9:30 p.m. Oral historians will also record “Voices of Amherst, NH,” a collection of stories and memories from Amherst residents. And on Saturday, July 4, Amherst’s annual Fourth of July parade will begin at 10 a.m. at Wilkins School. Visit amherstnh.gov/home/pages/250th-anniversary-celebration.

In Boscawen there will be an AFMI Fourth of July Party on Saturday, July 4, from 5 to 10 p.m. at 16 Hardy Lane, with food, lawn games like croquet and cornhole, and an open mic for anyone in the community who wants to share their work. Food will be served from 5 to 8 p.m., and fireworks will be on display after sundown, around 9:30 p.m. Attendance is $25 per adult and $10 per child. Visit the events calendar at boscawennh.gov.

Brookline will hold its annual Fourth of July Parade beginning on South Main Street at 10 a.m., according to brooklinenh.gov.

There will be a Fireworks Family Fun Fest in Canterbury from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 4, with a kids’ parade, kids’ games, food, and a concert by the Club Soda Band, before fireworks after dark, according to a post on the Friends of Canterbury Center Facebook page.

Contoocook and Hopkinton will hold a Family Fun Day on Saturday, July 4, hosted by the Hopkinton Recreation Committee irthday Celebration slated for Saturday, July 25, and Sunday, July 26, with events in Roy Memorial Park, the historic town center and more, including fireworks on the Saturday evening, according to litchfieldnh.gov.

Derry will have a fireworks display beginning around dusk (9 p.m.) on Saturday, July 4, according to derrynh.gov/parks-recreation.

The Town of Hollis has a week of patriotic activities planned including ceremonies and field day activities on Saturday, July 4; a movie and kids’ activities on Friday, July 10, and music from The Slakas, inflatables, kids’ games, food for purchase and fireworks on Saturday, July 11. See hollisnh.gov for a schedule of events.

Kingston will hold an America’s 250th Celebration on Saturday, July 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Kingston Plains, Town Common and other historical sites, with Revolutionary reenactors, Sons & Daughters of the Revolution, music, games, a barbecue and more, according to kingstonnh.gov/250th-anniversary-celebration-planning-committee.

Bedrock Gardens in Lee (19 High Road, 659-2993, bedrockgardens.org) will host An American Celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 4, which will include garden tours, a talk and demonstration by celebrity chef Mary Ann Esposito, a macaroni pie contest, and a walking lecture on “The Founding Plants of America,” according to the website.

In Litchfield, there will be a Fourth of July parade beginning at 10 a.m. at Hidden Creek golf course, followed by a car cruise and car show at Roy Memorial Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as confirmed by the Aaron Cutler Memorial Library. Litchfield also has a 250th Bican Legion raffle and flag sales. Visit the Historical Society’s website.

Manchester will celebrate America’s 250th birthday on Friday, July 3, at Arms Park starting at 6 p.m. with music, food vendors and more, including fireworks at dusk (around 9 p.m.) over the river, according to the Manchester Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

Merrimack’s Independence Day celebrations begin with a concerton Friday, July 3, at 6:30 p.m. featuring the Merrimack Concert Association (which will be performing and selling root beer floats) at Abbie Griffin Park behind the Merrimack Town Hall, according to merrimackparksandrec.org. A parade will take place Saturday, July 4, at 1 p.m. andfireworksat Kollsman Athletic Fields start around 9:15 p.m., with music and food trucks from 5 to 9 p.m., the website said.

Go to nashua.gov now to reserve tickets for theFourth of July Fireworks and Baseball Game on Saturday, July 4, in Nashua — tickets to the Silver Knights game are free for the first 500 adults and children under 13, according to the city’s website. The game, which starts at 10:30 a.m., will feature an expanded kids’ zone and on-field activities, the website said. That evening the program starts with a performance by the band The Slakas at 6 p.m., Nashua Hall of Fame inductions at 8 p.m., the Spartans Drum & Bugle Corps at 8:30 p.m. and a fireworks show at dusk, the website said.

New Boston will celebrate Independence Day Saturday, July 4, with a parade, food, music and fireworks. Visit newboston4thofjuly.org.

The Town of Raymond will hold a week of Independence Day celebrations from Friday, July 3, to Sunday, July 12, including an arts presentation, a parade, an ice cream social, a cornhole tournament, a Town Common concert, a musket drill, and more, according to raymondnh.gov, where you can find the full schedule.

The Warner Historical Society (warnerhistorical.org) will hold a Fourth of July pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m. on July 4 at the United Church of Warner (43 E. Main St.). There will be an Amerin Riverway Park in Contoocook. Events will include a farmers market, a Tooky Cookie competition, live music, a kids’ parade, an Independence Day parade, family fun at Riverway Park, a pudding-eating competition, and a root beer chugging competition, according to hopkintonnh.myrec.com.

The Town of Windham has been celebrating all year long. See windhamnh.gov for the calendar of events.

History has never been this much fun

Centuries of absurdity, just in time for the 250th

There’s a moment Lawrence Lesher keeps returning to when he talks about directing the latest Winnipesaukee Playhouse production, The Complete History of America (Abridged), running July 3 through July 11 in Meredith. It’s the Lewis and Clark section, a vaudeville-style bit in which two explorers debate their destination until someone gets hit with a rubber hammer.

“Absurdly stupid jokes,” Lesher said with a grin during a recent Zoom meeting. “But they captured exactly that energy with complete commitment right off the bat, and I was embarrassed by how much I enjoyed it.” That’s the sweet spot the show, written by Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, is designed to occupy.

Three actors, 90 minutes with intermission, and 600 years of American history are distilled in the play, initially performed by Reduced Shakespeare Company, a troupe famous for what the New York Times dubbed “intellectual vaudeville.” That it’s playing during the nation’s big birthday celebration is almost too perfect.

Lesher, surprisingly, claimed the semiquincentennial had slipped his mind until reminded of it, thanking the interviewer as he considered how to include it on opening weekend.

“I’m so focused on the show I didn’t even think about it, but yes,” he said, “we’re going to open with some rousing acknowledgment.”

That’s one of the play’s biggest charms — it’s less a script than a jumping off point. In fact, it’s been revised as recently as late last year. For example, it now includes a lot more about Alexander Hamilton than when Lesher first saw it during the George W. Bush presidency.

Lesher was a tour guide in New York City some time ago, and one stop was at Hamiton’s grave. “I’d have to explain who he was; now they tell me. That’s the power of pop culture when it’s applied to history,” he said, and promised a Lin-Manuel Miranda callback in his production — no spoilers, though. “It’s a cameo … a really funny one, and it’s a musical reference.”

This is Lesher’s first Winnipesaukee Playhouse gig, and it came partly because of his track record. He’s also an actor and was part of RSC’s national tour of Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). He did have some concerns about this play’s politics-tinged jabs. “My first question when I was hired was, ‘Can we laugh at ourselves anymore?’”

The answer, after a week-plus in rehearsal with a three-person cast of Owen Minor, Travis Tingvall and Amanda Wagner, is a clear yes.

“They’re so funny and light that I think even with our very real rancorous differences in politics today, we can set it aside and enjoy the gentle ribbing,” he said. “We tar everybody.”

The show skates nimbly across the full sweep of American history, or at least a highly compressed, cheerfully distorted version of it. There’s pre-Revolutionary America, the founding era, westward expansion, two world wars, Watergate and Covid, along with figures ranging from George Washington to both Bushes and the current White House resident.

Real-time topicality is baked into the play’s DNA, and Lesher has leaned into it.

“If something happens in the political world the day before we open, we might throw that in,” he said, adding the script almost demands the reflexes of a stand-up comic. “Being able to play off each other and what the audience gives you … it will be different every night.”

There are audience Q&A sections, a game show sequence where an actor goes into the crowd with a fake microphone, and occasional snark aimed at latecomers. It all lives or dies by the cast’s deft read-and-respond skills. Though it’s information-packed, Lesher is emphatic the show is accessible even for audiences who slept through eighth-grade social studies.

“You don’t need to know American history … it’s enjoyable on the level of pure, sheer zany comedy,” he said. “But those who do know their history will find another level in the references.” Seriousness sometimes does elbow its way in, with moments touching on national tragedies like Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination and 9/11.

Fortunately, it’s all handled with an irreverence that earns its right to the material.

“It does make you go home and think,” Lesher said, nodding in agreement when reminded that one of history’s funniest bits concerns Mrs. Lincoln’s night at the Ford Theatre. “It’s rooted in something very real, but still one of the funniest things.”

The Complete History of America (abridged)
When: Friday, July 3, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 4, at 2 p.m.; Sunday, July 5, at 2 p.m.; Tuesday, July 7, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, July 8, at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 9, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Friday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, July 11, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 33 Footlight Circle, Meredith
Admission: $40 and up, winnipesaukeeplayhouse.org

Featured photo: Owen Minor, Travis Tingvall and Amanda Wagner. Photo by Lawrence Lesher.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!