Very berry— The Hippo — 06/8/23

The Union Leader recently reported that Manchester is spending $2 million from the American Rescue Plan Act funds on a community-wide identity and branding initiative for the Queen City. It further noted the project was made a priority by Mayor Craig and the board of aldermen to address the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While a property owner in Manchester, I do not reside in the city. Thus, even though we remit tax revenue to Manchester, we have no voting rights in the city. The property owned is near City Hall where, sadly, our maintenance team continues to deal with discarded needles and drug paraphernalia as well as human feces, discarded clothing, shopping carts, and other items strewn about the property. Like many property owners in downtown Manchester, despite repeated calls and requests to the mayor’s office, we have received no assistance or response to this issue that negatively impacts our property, our employees and our guests.

So it is disappointing to learn that a decision was made to spend $2 million on a branding campaign instead of the long-standing issue within Manchester that has not been properly addressed, homelessness. As noted in prior columns, homelessness is a complex issue with many facets. Manchester has failed in almost every area due to a lack of leadership and consistent finger-pointing. Residents of encampments have been evicted and shuffled from one location to another. Blame has been placed on the state for not addressing the problem, and on outlying areas for sending their residents to Manchester. This past winter, the city scrambled at the last minute to provide emergency housing (as though it were a surprise cold weather was coming). Property owners suffer the consequences.

Yet nobody in a leadership position in Manchester has taken the reins and said, “We’re going to address this, put a plan in place to assist this population, and solve this issue within the city.” In fairness, Manchester has hired a Director of Homeless Initiatives. Looking at the website, I see more excuses in the Q&A section as to why things can’t be done versus solutions as to what will be done. At present, it certainly seems as though the plan is to “brand” Manchester away from its problems.

Robin Milnes is a small-business owner and advocate with more than 30 years of experience in real estate acquisitions, property management, sales, leasing, budgeting, fiscal oversight, human resources, and administration. She can be reached at rmilnes@ inex.com.

June 8 - 14, 2023

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on the coveR

10 beRRy season The time is (almost) ripe for berries!

This week’s cover story dives into the berry harvest season at local farms, starting with strawberries in June, followed by raspberries, blueberries and blackberries later in the summer. Find out how a late season frost in mid-May might have affected the crops, and learn all about where you can go pick your own berries and even attend a berry-centric festival.

also on the coveR Celebrate Juneteenth with the Black Heritage Trail of NH (page 14) and Pride Month with a local festival or parade (page 18). Michael Witthaus talks to comedian Dan Crohn ahead of two area performances this weekend (page 34). Find more shows in the Comedy This Week (page 34) and find live music at area bars and restaurants in the Music This Week (page 35).

inside this week

news & notes

4 news in bRief

6 Q&a

7 spoRts

8 Quality of life index

9 this week

the aRts

14 black heRitage tRail of nh events

15 aRts Roundup

inside/outside

18 pRide Month celebRations

19 tReasuRe hunt

There’s gold in your attic.

20 gaRdening guy

Henry Homeyer offers advice on your outdoors.

22 kiddie pool

Family fun events this weekend.

24 caR talk

Automotive advice.

food

26 williaM & sons coffee co. Yiayia’s Greek Night Out; In the Kitchen; Weekly Dish; Drinks with John Fladd.

pop cultuRe

30 Reviews CDs, books, film and more. Amy Diaz double-features Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and You Hurt My Feelings.

nite

34 bands, clubs, nightlife

Nite Roundup, concert & comedy listings and more.

34 coMedy this week

Where to find laughs.

35 Music this week

Live music at your favorite bars and restaurants.

38 conceRts

Big ticket shows.

38 tRivia nights

Find some friendly competition.

odds & ends

33 woRd Roundup

39 Rock ‘n’ Roll cRosswoRd

39 ken ken

40 cRosswoRd, sudoku

41 signs of life, 7 little woRds

42 news of the weiRd

news & n O tes

sununu is a ‘no’

Gov. Chris Sununu is not running for president in 2024, as he explained in a Washington Post opinion piece from June 5 and as was reported by several local media outlets that day. “Our party is on a collision course toward electoral irrelevance without significant corrective action. The stakes are too high for a crowded field to hand the nomination to a candidate who earns just 35 percent of the vote, and I will help ensure this does not happen,” Sununu said in the piece (former President Donald Trump received 35 percent of the vote in the 2016 Republican primary).

Sununu said in the Washington Post piece he believes he can have more influence “on the future of the Republican Party and the 2024 nominating process” as governor. In an interview with WMUR aired on Monday, he said he could be more unleashed as governor than as a candidate. The WMUR piece also said Sununu has not yet said whether he plans to run for a fifth term as governor.

schools survey

The New Hampshire Department of Education has released the results of its 603 Bright Futures Survey, which recently gathered feedback from educators, families and community members on the previous school year. The survey showed progress made in innovation, school safety and partnerships between schools and families, while areas for improvement identified include student anxiety, behavior and additional support for educators. Other key find-

ings include positive relationships between staff and students; the need for more support for educators working with special education and academically advanced students; and the importance of social and emotional support systems in schools. Full survey results can be viewed at secure.panoramaed. com/nhed/understand.

Pedestrian bridge

The City of Manchester has unveiled updated designs for the Granite Street Pedestrian Bridge, which is part of the RAISE Manchester transportation infrastructure project, “Connecting Communities.” According to a press release, the new design incorporates feedback from residents, businesses and community groups to enhance safety and usability for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. The bridge, near the Commercial Street and Granite Street intersection, will provide a safe alternative for Fisher Cats fans and commuters crossing Granite Street. The widened bridge and ramps now meet ADA accessibility standards, and cyclists can choose between using the bridge or street-level travel lanes. The project also aims to improve signal operation, reduce emissions and pay homage to Manchester’s history by resembling the former Notre Dame Bridge.

Lawsuit settlement

Attorney General John M. Formella has announced in a press release a nationwide settlement of $102.5 million with Indivior Inc., the maker of Suboxone, in

which 42 states participated. New Hampshire will receive approximately $896,400 as part of the settlement. The complaint alleged that Indivior used illegal tactics to maintain its monopoly over Suboxone, making it more expensive and difficult to treat opioid addiction. “Indivior’s illegal actions truly put profits ahead of people, and with this settlement we are holding them accountable and obtaining significant relief for our citizens,” Formella said in the release. The agreement, subject to court approval, requires Indivior to pay the states and comply with injunctive terms to prevent similar conduct in the future.

Help for kids

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $499,277 to Lamprey Health Care to support its Southern NH Area Health Education Center program, according to a press release from New Hampshire’s congressional delegation. The funding will be used to expand access to trauma-informed care and interventions for children and caregivers who have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences. The delegation, including U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, as well as Reps. Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas, emphasized the importance of such programs in addressing the substance use disorder epidemic in New Hampshire and supporting affected families.

Detentions abroad

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

Anagnost Investments held a ribbon-cutting Tuesday, June 6, for the opening of its new Bow Lane Property, behind Bedford High School at 3 Bow Lane in bedford. The property comprises three buildings totaling 93 units, with 47 units dedicated to workforce housing, aligning with the community’s affordable housing initiatives. Speakers in attendance, included Dick Anagnost, developer at Anagnost Investments, Inc.; U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan; State Sen. Denise Ricciardi, and Rob Dapice from the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.

The candia Town Wide Yard Sale will be held Saturday, June 10, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find maps to registered sales on Friday, June 9, outside the front door of Candia Town Hall (74 High St.) and Smyth Library (55 High St. in Candia) or via the Candia Community Women’s Club’s website, candiawomansgroup.org.

From now until Aug. 20, all Jordan’s Furniture store locations, including the one in nashua, will collect donations of new and gently used clothing for children up to 12 years old to support its Cradles to Crayons’ Ready for Learning initiative, which provides back-to-school supplies and clothing to children experiencing homelessness or living in low-income households. Donations will be distributed through a network of partner hospitals, shelters, schools and community centers. Visit jordans.com to learn more.

has been appointed as an honorary co-chair on a bipartisan commission aimed at addressing the increase in hostage taking and wrongful detention worldwide. According to a press release, the commission comprises various experts, including former hostages and their families, law enforcement officials, diplomats, academics and journalists. Formed in collaboration with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), it will focus on studying effective strategies to respond to different types of hostage-taking actors, proposing new U.S. gov-

ernment policies to deter such actions and developing tools and authorities to aid U.S. officials and hostage families. Additionally, a bipartisan legislation co-led by Shaheen establishing a national day recognizing U.S. hostages and their families was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate. Shaheen is also a leader on the Supporting Americans Wrongfully or Unlawfully Detained Abroad Act of 2023, which aims to provide assistance to families of wrongfully detained Americans and improve mental health support for detainees and their families.

Carlivette X. Santamaria, DMD

Felix M. Santamaria, DDS

**by

Finding gold

Upcycling project earns a Girl Scout Gold Award

Anya Merriman-Mix of Amherst, a Girl Scout and high school senior at The Dublin School, recently earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award, investing more than 93 hours and more than $500 in funding in organizing sustainable fashion workshops. Merriman-Mix talked about her initiative to raise awareness about the harmful effects of fast fashion and promote upcycling as a viable solution.

What inspired you to raise awareness about the impact of fast fashion and promote upcycling?

During Covid, when I was stuck in my house and trying to find things to do, I saw a bunch of people making their own tops, by crocheting them or using recycled materials. … I started doing some research around it … and into fast fashion and the impact that it has on other countries. ... The fashion industry no longer operates around just four seasons; it puts out new styles every few weeks. This results in a huge influx of clothes that stay in stores for a short period, then get sent back to the countries they came from if they’re not sold. I found all this really interesting. I regularly go through my closet and donate or give away anything I don’t want, and I discovered that many donations given to places like Goodwill aren’t always bought, and a lot of it is unusable. If something gets donated and sits there for a long time, it also gets sent back [to other countries]. There’s an overflow of clothes and fabrics that aren’t needed and can’t be reused and end up in landfills. I wanted to raise awareness and make people more conscious of their clothing-buying decisions … and I noticed that many people have no idea what upcycling is when I bring it up.

How did this translate into a project for Girl Scouts, and what did that project consist of?

I decided to propose an upcycling course for my school during what’s called “J-term,” which is a two-week period in January when my school offers various courses. A couple of teachers expressed interest, and we worked together to create the course. That’s when I decided to turn it into my Gold Award project [for Girl Scouts]. ... I also ran a workshop for Brownies where they made their own tote bags and dreamcatchers. What’s interesting is [the Brownies] actually took the extra fabric from their dreamcatchers and started making bracelets out of it ... they took it upon themselves, which was really great to see. I’m going to teach another upcycling course at a Girl Scout summer

camp this year. I also created a website, and I’ve connected with a woman in Milford who does upcycling through her company called Mountain Girl.

How can individuals who are not creatively inclined toward upcycling dispose of their unwanted clothing and fabrics responsibly?

If you can’t find someone to give them to directly, donating clothes is always a better option than throwing them away. There are higher-end thrift stores like Mother and Child that accept good quality clothes. Companies like Lululemon and Patagonia also have buyback programs where you can return old clothes for them to resell.

How has this project changed the way you think about and manage clothes in your own life?

I try not to buy clothes unless I need something specific for an event or it’s something that I truly love and know for sure that I’ll wear again. I look for higher-end brands that are moderately affordable, because they usually offer better quality.

What skills aside from upcycling have you developed through this project?

Public speaking and advocacy were significant skills I developed. I had to communicate and convince different people about my project and learn to adapt my message for different audiences, such as teachers, Girl Scouts council members and Brownies.

What advice do you have for other Girl Scouts who are working toward earning the Gold Award?

If you have an interest, start researching and brainstorming ideas. I had been passionate about upcycling for a few years, but I didn’t have much preparation or knowledge at the beginning [of the project], so I learned things as I went along. ... Not everything goes smoothly all the time, but it’s definitely worth a shot. I know I’m really glad I took on this project.

— Angie Sykeny

Anya Merriman-Mix. Courtesy photo.

Honoring those who served

The Big Story –Baseball Took a Hit on D-Day: In the last week we have remembered with reverence and awe the courage and sacrifice made by American servicemen and women with Memorial Day and the 79th anniversary of D-Day, which I think is the greatest day in our history for what America stands for. Below I recognize athletes, especially baseball players, for their service in World War II and on D-Day. In the meantime, thank you for your service.

Sports 101: Name the baseball player who spied behind German lines for the U.S. during World War II.

News Item – Down Goes Chris Sale, Again: With the ERA at 2.23 in his previous five starts, when he struck out 37 and walked just four over 32.1 innings, it all seemed to be going so well. But the fingers are always crossed with Sale, because sooner or later something seems to go wrong. And it did last week when he had to leave after 3.2 innings vs. Cincinnati with an inflamed left shoulder that led to his latest IL stint.

News Item – Panicsville Hits the Hoop Hub: With the Celtics going out of the playoffs earlier than anyone wanted, there is a huge hue and cry locally to make big changes. In situations like this, I wonder what Red Auerbach might have done. Conveniently we can look back at what he said and did after the Celtics were swept out of the playoffs by the Bucks in 1983. Red’s response was, “You don’t go into panicsville to break up a ball club as good as this one just because you lose one series.”

Bill Fitch did step down as coach. But Red kept the core intact by ponying up the big bucks to re-sign free agent Kevin McHale, who was a whisker away from signing with the Knicks. And then somehow got Dennis Johnson and a first-round pick in a trade for back-up center Rick Robey. Both were keys to winning it all in 1984 and again in ’86.

The lesson: The worst time to make decisions is when emotions are raw. Take time, assess, and then act.

A Little History – Baseball at War, 19421945: A look at three Hall of Famers who saw WWII action on D-Day and elsewhere.

Yogi Berra: Nineteen-year-old Lawrence Peter Berra was on the USS Bayfield ferrying troops to Omaha Beach and providing cover for them on D-Day, and he earned a Purple Heart after being wounded by German fire.

Bob Feller: By joining the Navy two days after Pearl Harbor he was the first big-leaguer to enlist in the service, a naval gunnery officer who fought in the Pacific aboard the USS Alabama. It’s likely the 266game winner lost 100 career wins due to his four years served.

Warren Spahn: The 363-game winner was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star after seeing action in the Battle of the Bulge and the Bridge at Remagen

The Numbers:

.280 – May batting average for Sox rookie Triston Casas after being buried at .131 at the end of April.

0 – points scored on 10 shots taken by Miami’s Max Strus in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

8 – fouls called on Denver to 15 on Miami in Game 1.

Random Leftover Celtics Thoughts: Is Charles Barkley ever right? After saying everyone in America knows Miami won’t win Game 7, the winner of exactly zero NBA titles called the Celtics failures after Miami did win. Making the question, well, Chuck, if they’re as bad as you say they are, then what kind of a numbskull would pick them to win Game 7?

Was Caleb Martin scoring just three points in Game 1 of the NBA Finals after annihilating the Celtics in their series just because he was due for a bad game, or because they actually decided to just cover him?

No question Marcus Smart is a disruptor and versatile team defender. But he’s not the lock-down individual defender he’s made out to be. Said another way, he’s no Michael Cooper or Scottie Pippen in oneon-one match-ups.

Sports 101 Answer: Journeyman catcher Moe Berg, who was Jewish and who spoke several languages after graduating from Princeton and Columbia Law School, spied behind Nazi lines gathering intelligence on their nuclear program.

Final Thought: Kendrick Perkins says Larry Bird was no legend.

In saying he’s not on ESPN’s First Take to make friends, mission accomplished. But is Perk’s role to be a complete blithering idiot instead? When you’re a Gen-X journeyman who never actually saw the greatness of Bird in person, speaking nonsense like Bird was not a legend because “he never won a scoring title” lets people know you have no clue about Bird’s dominant impact in 99.9 percent of the games he played.

Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress. com.

THE GOOD DEEDS PODCAST

qua L ity OF L i F e in D ex

working ahead

Nine New Hampshire high school students this month received both their high school diploma and an associate degree at the same time. According to a press release, the students are the inaugural graduating class of Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies, a chartered public high school on the campus of Manchester Community College that opened in 2019. The school offers dual-credit programs with a focus on mechatronics, allowing high school students to receive an associate degree in advanced manufacturing from Manchester Community College the same year they graduate from high school. The graduates have already secured internships at prominent companies, according to the release.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Spark Academy plans to expand its offerings to include a degree program in bio fabrication, and openings for the upcoming academic year are still available.

sustainable fun

Intown Concord, in partnership with New Hampshire Federal Credit Union, has set out to make Market Days, the largest annual festival in downtown Concord, a sustainable event. According to a press release, the festival, planned for June 22 through June 24, will feature initiatives to promote recycling, waste reduction and eco-conscious practices. Staffed recycling stations, reusable cups in the beer tent and vendor composting are among the key sustainability initiatives. Visit marketdaysfestival.com to learn more.

QOL score: +1

Comment: “By making Market Days a sustainable event, we hope to inspire other festivals, organizations, and individuals to adopt similar practices, creating a greener and more sustainable future for our community,” Intown Concord stated in the release.

we’re spendy

A recent study by Forbes Advisor that examined budgeting, debt management and financial planning across the 50 states revealed that New Hampshire ranked as the sixth least financially disciplined state. According to the study, only 56 percent of residents follow a budget that guides their spending; 22 percent regularly save a portion of their monthly income; 32 percent contribute to a retirement account; 26 percent usually achieve their financial goals, such as paying off student loans; and only 18 percent claim to possess high levels of financial discipline.

QOL score: -1

Comment: The study notes low unemployment as a possible factor in securing Alabama’s status as the most financially disciplined state, though interestingly, New Hampshire surpasses Alabama in that area, ranking third for unemployment, while Alabama ranks sixth.

QOL score: 76

Net change: +1

QOL this week: 77

Students at Spark Academy of Advanced Technologies. Courtesy photo.

This Week

thursday, June 8

Celebrating Billy Joel –America’s Piano Man is coming to the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St.) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the pianist’s album Piano Man . The multi-instrumental band will play all of Joel’s hits. Tickets to the show cost $29 to $59 and can be purchased at nashuacenterforthearts.com.

saturday, June 10

Today is the first day of the Motorcycle Week at New Hampshire Motor Speedways (1122 Route 106 North, Loudon) starting at 10 a.m. The event runs from today through June 18 with events on and off the track, like demo rides by Katancha and Harley-Davidson, USCRA FIM North American Vintage Championship races, and classes with Penguin Roadracing School. The event is

free to attend. Visit nhms.com for more information.

saturday, June 10

Join The Sweet Spot at Sheridan Emmett Park (324 Beech St., Manchester) for a Summer Kickoff Craft Fair from noon to 4 p.m. There will be 40 vendors selling crafts and goods. For more information, visit facebook.com/ thesweetspotandco.

Big EvEnts JunE 8 and BEyond

saturday, June 10

The Range (96 Old Turnpike Road, Mason) has the first concert in its Summer Concert Series tonight. The show will feature jam band Max Creek, which first formed in 1971. Tickets cost $30 in advance, $38 the day of, and kids younger than 6 years old are free. Visit therangemason.com for more information or to purchase tickets.

sunday, June 11

NH Guitars (41 Range Road, Windham) is hosting an informal summer jam session outside the shop today from 2 to 5 p.m. Visitors are invited to bring their own guitars or pick one up at the shop and join the team of instructors and professional musicians. Custom bass and guitar builder Mike Saint Germain will be at the jam for a meet-and-greet. For more information visit nhguitars.com.

tuesday, June 13

SEE Science Center is teaming up with Science on Tap and Science Café NH to present Science Discussion Roadshow at the VFW Post 8641 (292 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack). The topic will be the science behind ice cream. The doors open at 5 p.m., and the discussion begins at 6:30 p.m. More information about this event can be found at see-sciencecenter.org.

tuesday, June 13

The Henniker Concert Series starts tonight with Peabody’s Coal Train,

a New Hampshire-based Americana six-piece band that started up in 2023. The concert is at 6:30 p.m. at the Angela Robinson Bandstand (57 Main St.). In case of rain the event will be moved to the Community Center adjacent to the park. There will be food available by Primetime Grilled Cheese. Visit Facebook.com/HennikerConcert.

save the Date!

saturday, June 17

The awards ceremony for the 23rd annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic is today at 8 p.m. on the Hampton Beach Sea Shell Stage (100 Ocean Blvd.). Voting for the people’s choice portion of the award will be from 1 to 3 p.m. The ceremony is followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m. The sculptures will be on display at Hampton Beach through June 26. For more information visit hamptonbeach.org

By Mya Blanchard and Matt Ingersoll listings@hippopress.com

Nothing signals the start of summer quite like fresh berries, and the time to pick is right around the corner. Despite a recent unseasonably cold snap that threatened this year’s crops, most area farms remain hopeful for a decent harvest.

According to the National Weather Service, the temperature dropped 40 degrees in the Manchester area on May 18, from a high of 68 to a record low of 28 degrees. Concord also tied its record low that night of 25 degrees, set back in 1983, data shows.

Recent conditions had the potential to devastate entire crops at places like Rossview Farm in Concord, which is gearing up for pick-your-own strawberries very soon. Owner Don Ross was able to save a majority of them thanks to his irrigation pumping system — but not without lots of work and countless hours of extra invested time.

“In 31 years of growing strawberries, it’s only the second time that I can think of turning the irrigation pump on for frost protection while it’s still light out the night before,” Ross said.

Ross said that, while the ice that forms from freezing water on a strawberry plant does act as somewhat of an insulator, it can’t be relied upon alone.

“You have to continue to add water,” he said. “As water becomes ice, it has to give off heat and has to go somewhere. … So that’s the science behind it. You’ve got to keep watering until it gets warm enough in the morning that the frost is no longer a threat.”

when are they ready?

Sources: agriculture.nh.gov and extension. unh.edu

• Strawberries: early to mid-June

• Blueberries: early to mid-July

• Raspberries: early to mid-July

• Cherries: early to mid-July

• Blackberries: mid to late July or early August

Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry, which has been growing berries for the past 50 years, opens for pick-your-own strawberries on June 15. Farm manager Samanatha Fay said unusually cold temperatures far out into the spring had the potential to put this year’s crop at risk.

“We were [at] the end of our bloom so we thought we were safe, but a lot of damage set in because the temperatures dropped and they stayed for so long,” Fay said. “A lot of buds died off, unfortunately.”

Circumstances were similar at Kimball Fruit Farm, located on the Hollis town line bordering Pepperell, Mass., where some of the early blooms also took a hit. Despite the early damage, this year’s crop still seems promising.

The crops at Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis, meanwhile, also seem to be doing OK, according to fifth-generation owner Chip Hardy. They’ll also start out with pick-your-own strawberries, followed by blueberries, raspberries and blackberries as the summer draws on.

“The weather has not had an adverse effect on these crops.” Hardy said. “They all look very good.”

Due to warmer weather earlier in the season, raspberries and blueberries are even expected earlier than usual this year, Hardy said.

“It’s really convenient for the folks to come pick strawberries because by the end of June [to] early July, we’ll have strawberries and raspberries ripe at the same time, and usually by the first of July our first blueberries will be ripe too,” he said.

Very Berry

ANtIcIpAtINg thE S trAWbErrIES, bluEbErrIES, rASpbErrIES AND morE thAt WIll ADD SWEEtNESS to your SummEr

But the weather has had the opposite effect on crops for farms farther north. Strawberry crops could be delayed at Apple Hill Farm in Concord, due to the erratic weather patterns that area of the state has experienced, according to co-owner Diane Souther.

“Because of the spring that we’ve had, they may be a little later in June before we’re really picking solid, so I’ll say after the 25th of June,” she said.

At Rossview Farm, Ross aims to be open for strawberry picking around the second week of June, while blueberries tend to be ready shortly after the calendar turns over to July. He said that, unlike strawberries, his blueberries don’t always need irrigation to the same extent.

“The blueberries are actually [from] a bush, and strawberries are [from] a plant,” he said. “Blueberries, the way they hang, are facing the ground and so they almost have a built-in frost protection system, whereas strawberry blossoms face upright, [to] the sun.”

In Contoocook, Gould Hill Farm is perhaps best-known for its many varieties of pick-your-own apples, but will offer a small selection of other fruits and vegetables, including blueberries. Owner Tim Bassett said that if all goes well blueberries should be ready to go around July 16 to July 18, and would run into early August.

“We had a little bit of frost damage, but right now things look OK, and we’re hopeful it will be a good crop,” Bassett said.

varieties and when to pick

Different fruits, and their varieties, thrive in different temperatures. Strawberries are

Homemade strawberry rhubarb lemonade ice pops

Courtesy of Diane Souther of Apple Hill Farm in Concord (makes about 12 to 15 ice pops)

3 stalks rhubarb, chopped fine (approximately

3 cups, packed loose)

¾ cup sugar

2½ cups water

3 cups strawberries, frozen or fresh, hulled and sliced

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a large saucepan, bring the rhubarb, sugar, water and strawberries to a light boil for about three minutes, stirring to dissolve. Remove from the heat and let it sit in the pan for around 30 minutes or longer — this allows the fruit to blend together and lets it cool slightly before the next step. Place in a blender with the lemon juice and puree. Pour into ice pop molds and freeze until chilled.

the first of the berries to bloom, usually coming in around the second week of June, the ideal time for pick-your-own being the end of the month, said David Wadleigh, owner of Kimball Fruit Farm.

“They’ll start to come out when it’s warm, but once it gets too hot they’re all done,” Wadleigh said. “They last until about the Fourth of July [or] really when it gets so hot the plants just don’t produce fruit anymore.”

It’s around this time, Fay says, that blueberries and cherries usually make an appearance, with July being the prime time for harvesting. Fay said it can be hard to lock down a specific time that’s too far in advance of when berries will be ready to harvest, as many fruits have multiple varieties that bloom at different times of the season.

“One strand … will produce earlier in the season for you, where another one comes in later just because of the different temperature qualities and how it could survive better,” Fay said.

When it comes to growing these fruits, planting different varieties is key to getting the most out of the season. At Brookdale Fruit Farm, about 10 different varieties of strawberries are grown and harvested, from a mix of early maturing ones such as Wendy and Galletta, to mid-season varieties like Dickens and Honeoye and late season varieties like Rutgers Scarlet.

At Kimball Fruit Farm, about 4,000 strawberry plants were planted — 1,000 each of four different varieties.

“You get so many varieties like that so you have a crop throughout the whole season,” Wadleigh said. “If we planted [only] one variety, we would only have strawberries for like a week because each variety is only out for a short amount of time.”

The same is true for other berries as well. Because blueberries usually last five to six weeks, five to seven varieties will need to be planted in order for the crop to last the whole season, Wadleigh said.

Raspberries, which usually arrive toward the end of June in the middle of strawberry season, tend to have a longer season than some of the other berries, so only about

Strawberries from Sunnycrest Farm in Londonderry. Courtesy photo.

four varieties are needed to extend the season by multiple weeks, Wadleigh said. As for blackberries, on the other hand, only one type is grown at Kimball Fruit Farm.

“You basically keep picking them until it gets too cold and then they don’t produce for you anymore,” Wadleigh said.

While their ripening times vary, there otherwise isn’t a distinguishable difference between these varieties.

“When people come to pick, they don’t typically ask for a certain variety of strawberry,” Souther said.” They just want some that [are] red and sweet and juicy.”

growing conditions

In addition to temperature, precipitation levels are crucial to the health and growth of crops.

“You need consistent rain,” Fay said.

Not having sufficient rain can hinder the growth and longevity of a berry’s season, as was the case last year with the raspberries at Kimball Fruit Farm.

“We had a pretty severe drought and kind of the blackberries too toward the end of the year, so it kind of shortened the raspberry season a little bit,” Wadleigh said. “We also had less raspberries out there to pick because the plant wasn’t getting one of the things that it needed.”

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and rain is no exception.

“Berries are also really prone to mold and mildew, [which] travel by spores, and spores use heat and water as vectors to get into plants,” Wadleigh said. “So when it’s the middle of summer and the plants are all wet, it’s like a big sign saying, ‘Mold and mildew welcome here.’ So you do need water for the berries, but too much rain can also be detrimental to your crop as well.”

Too much rain can also cause root rot, inflicting harm on the plant itself, as Fay points out. As with most things, a healthy balance is best and creates the ideal conditions for the berry season.

“It’s always a nice even keel between moisture and sunshine because you need the

raspberry whip

Courtesy of Chip Hardy of Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis

1 pint raspberries

2 egg whites

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip the egg whites until soft, then add the sugar slowly and whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold in the vanilla. Add the raspberries and mix quickly with a beater. Refrigerate. Great for use on top of an angel food cake or pound cake.

sun to ripen the fruit and make the flowers bloom,” Fay said.

Assuming that there isn’t damage or disease that has harmed the plant, these berry plants — and trees, in the case of cherries — are perennials, meaning they will come back every year until the end of their lifespan.

“We have some raspberry plants at the farm that we had when I was younger when I started working here in high school,” said Wadleigh, who’s been working at Kimball Fruit Farm for 19 years. “Some of the cherry trees are at least 60 [years old] if not more.”

Strawberry plants may need to be replaced more often, roughly every three to five years, depending on the weather conditions they have experienced, according to Wadleigh.

There are several important measures to be taken, Fay said, to protect these plants from the elements.

“The first year of growth you want to pick off any of the fruit or the flowers that first come, because instead of them focus-

all-berry pie

Courtesy of Chip Hardy of Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis

2 to 3 quarts any variety of berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries)

¼ cup sugar

2 premade pie crusts

1 Tablespoon butter

Mix together the berries and add the sugar. Set aside. Using an 8- or 9-inch round pie plate, place the bottom pie crust inside and add the berry mixture on top. The top pie crust should have a lattice top for the steam to come out — if using the whole top crust, make sure to poke steam holes in the crust. Melt the butter and brush onto the top crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes until the crust is slightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Refrigerate after serving.

Blueberries from Berrybogg Farm in Strafford. Courtesy photo.

ing on growing any fruit the first year, you want them to really focus on the roots’ support system,” she said.

It’s also important to shield the plants from cold temperatures. This can be done by covering them with hay or straw, or even covering them with water.

“The water almost acts like a blanket on top of them and it actually prevents the flowers from being damaged by the cold,” Wadleigh said. “We [have] had to do that … and it actually saved most of the early berries. … If the yellow center [of the strawberry blossoms] turns black you know that it was damaged by the cold.”

after harvest

After you’ve picked your berries, they are best kept in the refrigerator, as keeping them cool slows down the breakdown of the fruit, according to Fay. Just as the plants are prone to mold and mildew, the berries themselves are as well, Wadleigh said — for this reason, it’s also important to keep them dry.

“I always recommend, because mold and mildew use water as a vector, [not to] wash them until you’re about to eat them,” he said.

Once harvested, there are numerous ways to enjoy them.

“Strawberry shortcake is always a standby favorite,” Souther said.

She also notes that if you plan to make smoothies or frappes you can freeze the berries to throw in the blender later. Other popular recipes are pies, as Souther pointed out, and jams, custards and other desserts, according to Fay.

strawberry buttercream frosting

Courtesy of Diane Souther of Apple Hill Farm in Concord

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

1¼ cups sugar

¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces

1½ cups fresh strawberries, pureed

Place whites and sugar in a double boiler cooking pot. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture registers 160 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat

Berries can also be cooked down and mixed into drinks, like, for example, adding a blueberry syrup to lemonade, Wadleigh said.

While often made into or paired with desserts, berries can be included in savory meals too.

“A lot of people cook the berries down and make a sauce that they use in a savory dish,” Wadleigh said. “I’ve heard of … people cooking them down and [putting] it with different cuts of meat.”

wHere tO Pick yOur Own berries

Here are some farms that plan to offer fresh berries for pick-your-own throughout this upcoming season. Know of any we missed? Tell us about it at food@hippopress.com.

• Apple Hill Farm 580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com

What: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries When: Projected opening date is around mid to late June, according to Apple Hill Farm co-owner Diane Souther, starting with pick-your-own strawberries.

• Applecrest Farm Orchards 133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com What: Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries When: The farm stand is open daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; pick-your-own strawberries will likely be around mid-June, followed by blueberries in early July and raspberries in mid-August, according to applecrest.com.

• Berry Good Farm 234 Parker Road, Goffstown, 497-8138, find them on Facebook What: Blueberries When: pickyour-own blueberries will likely start around mid-July.

• Berrybogg Farm 650 Province Road, Strafford, 664-2100, berryboggfarm.com What: Blueberries When: Pick-your-own blueberries will likely start sometime shortly after the Fourth of July, according to the latest message from the farm’s picking hotline.

• Blueberry Bay Farm 38 Depot Road, Stratham, 580-1612, blueberrybayfarm.com What: Blueberries When: Pick-your-own blueberries expected to start on or around June 26, with peak picking season around the third week of July.

• Brookdale Fruit Farm 41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com What: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries When: Pick-your-own strawberries are expected to be available around mid-to-late June, followed by blueberries and raspberries by early July and blackberries later into the summer.

• Butternut Farm 195 Meaderboro Road, Farmington, 335-4705, butternutfarm.net What: Strawberries, raspberries

strawberry cupcakes

Courtesy of Diane Souther of Apple Hill Farm in Concord

1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

1½ cups cake flour (not self-rising)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

and blueberries When: Strawberry picking is projected to run from about June 15 through July 10, followed by raspberries from about July 1 to July 25 and blueberries from about July 15 to Aug. 31, according to Butternut Farm owner Giff Burnap.

• Carter Hill Orchard 73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples. com What: Blueberries When: Pick-yourown blueberries will likely start sometime in July, according to carterhillapples.com.

• Devriendt Farm Products 178 S. Mast St., Goffstown, 497-2793, devriendtfarm. com What: Strawberries When: Pickyour-own strawberries expected around the second or third week of June.

• Elwood Orchards 54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards. com What: Cherries When: Pick-yourown cherries are expected to be available around July 4

• Gould Hill Farm 656 Gould Hill Farm, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm. com What: Blueberries When: Pick-your-own blueberries will likely start around July 16 to July 18, according to owner Tim Bassett, and is expected to run into early August.

• Grandpa’s Farm 143 Clough Hill Road, Loudon, 783-5690, grandpasfarmnh.com What: Blueberries When: Daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; the projected opening date is around July 10, according to grandpasfarmnh.com.

• Grounding Stone Farm 289 Maple St., Contoocook, 746-1064, groundingstonefarm.com What: Blueberries When: Projected opening date is around July 10, according to groundingstonefarm.com.

• Hackleboro Orchards 61 Orchard Road, Canterbury, 783-4248, hackleboroorchard.com What: Blueberries When: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; pick-your-own blue-

and cool slightly. Whisk with a mixer on medium speed for five minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until stiff and glossy peaks form (about six minutes). Reduce the speed to medium and add butter, one piece at a time, whisking well after each addition. Switch to a paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the strawberry puree and beat until smooth (about three to five minutes). Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate (can be refrigerated for up to three days — bring to room temperature and beat on a low speed until smooth before using).

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans

1¾ cups sugar, plus more for sprinkling fruit

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1¼ cups milk

10 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into small diced pieces, plus more for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two and a half standard 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking pow-

der and salt, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (three to four minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour — beat until combined after each addition. Fold in the strawberries. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full (about 2 ounces each). Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean (about 20 minutes). Transfer the pans to a wire rack to cool for five minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on the wire racks.

Strawberries from Apple Hill Farm in Concord. Courtesy photo.

A happy blossom after it survived the freeze Photo courtesy of Rossview Farm in Concord.

berries are expected between mid-June and late August, according to hackleboroorchard.com.

• J&F Farms 108 Chester Road, Derry, 437-0535, jandffarmsnh.com What: Strawberries When: The farm will likely have pick-your-own strawberries around the second or third week of June.

• Kimball Fruit Farm Route 122, on the Hollis and Pepperell, Mass., border, 978-433-9751, kimball.farm What: Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries Expected hours: Pick-yourown strawberries are projected for the latter half of June. The farm stand is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Lavoie’s Farm 172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 882-0072, lavoiesfarm.com What: Strawberries and blueberries When: Farm hours are daily, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• McKenzie’s Farm 71 Northeast Pond Road, Milton, 652-9400, mckenziesfarm.com What: Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries When: Strawberries are expected to be ready by the middle of June, followed by raspberries around July 4 and blueberries also in early July.

• Norland Berries 164 N. Barnstead Road, Center Barnstead, 776-2021, norlandberries.com What: Blueberries When:

berry festivals

Check out these events happening in the Granite State that center around local strawberries and blueberries when in season. Do you know of one that we missed? Tell us about it at food@hippopress.com.

• Join J&F Farms (124 Chester, Road, Derry) for its annual strawberry fest on Saturday, June 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Festivities will include hayrides, food trucks, a petting farm and live music, in addition to food trucks and, of course, strawberries. Visit jandffarmsnh.com.

• Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls) will hold its 16th annual strawberry festival on Saturday, June 17, and Sunday, June 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Enjoy pick-your-own strawberries, tractor rides and berry-inspired snacks while listening to live

Berries will likely be available by early to mid-July.

• Rossview Farm 85 District 5 Road, Concord, 228-4872, rossviewfarm.com

What: Strawberries and blueberries When: Strawberries are expected to be ready for pick-your-own by the second week of June, followed by blueberries around the Fourth of July, according to Rossview Farm owner Don Ross.

• Saltbox Farm 321 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham, 436-7978, find them on Facebook

What: Blueberries When: Blueberries are expected by early to mid-July.

• Smith Farm Stand 15 Smith Farm Road, Gilford, 524-7673, smithfarmstand. com What: Raspberries and blueberries

When: The farm features three raspberry beds and one blueberry field, according to smithfarmstand.com. Raspberries are expected to be ready for picking around the second week of July, followed by blueberries in mid-July.

• Spring Ledge Farm 37 Main St., New London, 526-6253, springledgefarm.com

What: Strawberries When: Pick-your-own strawberries expected later toward the end of June.

• Sunnycrest Farm 59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com What: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries When: 7 a.m. to noon, daily for pick-your-own strawberries, with an expected opening date of June 15, according to farm manager Samantha Fay. Beginning in late June or early July are cherries, followed by blueberries and raspberries by the start of July.

• Trombly Gardens 150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net What: Strawberries and blueberries When: Pick-your-own strawberries are expected later in June, followed by blueberries in early July.

music. See applecrest.com.

• A local tradition for more than 75 years, the Hollis Strawberry Festival returns on Sunday, June 25, from 2 to 4 p.m. on the town common (2 Monument Square, Hollis). The festival is put on by the Hollis Woman’s Club and features fresh, local strawberries and homemade biscuits, with or without hand-whipped cream and homemade ice cream, available for sale. There will also be children’s games, face-painting, craft vendors and a live performance from the Hollis Town Band. Visit holliswomansclub.org.

• Celebrate the start of blueberry season at Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls) with a blueberry festival on Saturday, July 22, and Sunday, July 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit applecrest.com.

Raspberries from Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis. Courtesy photo.

elevating their experiences Black Heritage Trail presents discussion panel with immigrants and refugees

By Katelyn Sahagian ksahagian@hippopress.com

The Currier Museum of Art is promoting a different type of art: the human experience. The museum has partnered with The Black Heritage Trail NH in hosting a panel discussion about the lives of Black immigrants and refugees in the Granite State.

The discussion is based around Uprooted: Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire, a 2009 documentary produced and created by the University of New Hampshire.

“It’s a great documentary and it tells stories of life in refugee camps,” said Anne Romney, one of the organizers for the event.

Romney said the plan originally was to invite the subjects of the documentary to discuss where they are now, but it became clear that due to the passage of time it wouldn’t be possible. She said several of the people in the documentary were now elderly and at least one had died.

a month of celebration

The Black Heritage Trail of NH has several events scheduled in June as part of its Juneteenth Celebration. Other events include these:

• “African Roots: Herbal Medicine, Inoculation & The Shaker Connection” This tour at the Canterbury Shaker Village starts at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 10 (with a bus pickup in Portsmouth at 9:15 a.m). The day will feature a talk and tour on the history of medicine at the Canterbury Shaker Village and Sister Edith Green, an African American Shaker who lived at Canterbury Shaker Village, according to the website. Tickets cost $35 for the tour; $45 with the bus ride.

• “If You Knew, Let It Be Us” An opening reception for this exhibit at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth will take place Friday, June

art Events

• COMMUNITY ARTS FES-

TIVAL The Castle in the Clouds (Route 171, 455 Old Man Road, Moultonborough; castleintheclouds.org, 476-5900), in partnership with the Lakes Region Art Association, will hold its first Community Arts Festival on Saturday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a press release. The event will feature dozens of crafters, artists, community organizations, art demonstrations, performances, a scavenger hunt, arts activities for kids and more,

Organizers reached out to younger refugees and immigrants to create the new panel. Romney said they are just as impressive and just as incredible to hear speak.

“It’s very powerful to hear these stories, based on real people and real experiences,” Romney said. “We had a Zoom meeting to make sure everyone [on the panel] is on the same page and it was an amazing hour I spent with these folks.”

The speakers are Rashida Eltag Mohamed, a domestic sexual violence advocate through the Manchester Police

16, at 5 p.m. The exhibit features McKinley Wallace III, “a mixed-media painter and art educator,” who “paints, draws and collages to tell stories of power manifested in resilient peoples,” according to the website. The event is free.

• “Chanting Down Babylon: Redemption Songs of the Diaspora” This Reggae Festival will take place Saturday, June 17, from noon to 10 p.m. at the Strawbery Banke Museum grounds in Portsmouth. In addition to music (see the line-up of scheduled artists online), the day will include food and craft vendors, drumming, dance, kids’ activities and more, according to the website. Tickets cost $60 general admission, $10 for kids ages 6 to 18; kids 5 and under get in free.

the release said. Admission to attend is free. The rain date is Sunday, June 11.

• DRAWING NIGHT Two Villages Art Society’s gallery (846 Main St. in Contoocook; twovillagesart.org) offers a series of free monthly drawing nights on the schedule. Hosted by local artists Ty Meier and Jo Gubman, the events allow artists to work alongside peers and receive feedback if desired, according to the website. Bring your own art supplies. Upcoming dates are Thursdays June 15, July 20, Aug. 17, Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 17 and

Department; Anzura Gakwaya, a community building specialist with NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire, and Fisto Ndayishimiye, the lead organizer for Change for Concord. The panel will be moderated by Grace Kindeke, a program coordinator for American Friends Service Committee NH.

Romney said it was important for the panel to be a discussion, not just a series of questions each expert was answering. She said the Black Heritage Trail wanted to highlight the human element and the lived experience each person brings to the table.

• “Camille A. Brown & Dancers: Reclaiming Black Narratives” This dance performance will take place at the Music Hall in Portsmouth on Sunday, June 18, at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $30 to $70.

• The Healing Rhythm of the Drums This African drumming performance featuring Akwaaba Ensemble will take place at the Portsmouth African Burying Ground on Monday, June 19, at 11 a.m. and include a ceremony by Rev. Robert Thompson, according to the website. The event is free and open to the public.

• “From Africa to America: We Are the Drums” The Howard Gospel Choir will perform at the South Church Unitarian Universalist Church in Portsmouth on Monday, June 19, at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $35.

“You can read an article about immigration and it might be interesting, but you can start and stop reading,” Romney said. “If you’re talking and listening to some human being talk and you can feel the humanity of it, you get drawn in.”

Romney said the Black Heritage Trail is about educating people on Black history in New Hampshire and also on what the current Black experience is. This panel, she said, brings to light the modern experience for Black refugees and immigrants coming to this state.

“I think it takes courage and it’s exhausting to people to always be educating, to help others understand,” Romney said. “[But] I think it felt that there’s an appreciation of having a platform to speak, as hard and exhausting it is, I think it’s necessary and I think they believe it’s necessary.”

Still Uprooted? Heartache and Hope in New Hampshire

Where: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144)

When: Wednesday, June 16, at 6 p.m. with a coffee hour before the panel at 5 p.m.

Tickets: Register at blackheritagetrailnh. org/juneteenth-celebration-2023 for the in-person or virtual presentation.

Dec. 21. Register online.

Exhibits

• ANDREW FRESHOUR is a Manchester illustrator whose work is on display at Framers Market (1301 Elm St. in Manchester; 668-6989, framersmarketnh.com). See andrewfreshour. com for more on the artist and his work. The Framers Market is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., according to its website.

• “SEEING IS NOT BELIEVING: AMBIGUITY IN PHO-

TOGRAPHY” has opened at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier. org, 669-6144). “This exhibition explores photographs that make us question what we are looking at. Still-lifes, abstract images, and manipulated photographs heighten our sense of wonder,” according to the Currier’s website. The Currier is open Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (with Art After Work, when admission is free, between 5 to 8 p.m.), and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• “CELEBRATING THE ART-

IST NEXT DOOR” See “Celebrating the Artist Next Door,” presented by Two Villages Art Society at the Bates Building (846 Main St., Contoocook) through June 17. The exhibition features works by more than 30 New Hampshire artists representing various media. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.org or call 413-210-4372.

• “A GARDEN STORY PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT” The New Hampshire Audubon’s McLane Center (84 Silk Farm

Road in Concord; nhaudubon. org) will display “A Garden Story Photography Exhibit” through July 5. The center is open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• “ALL MY FRIENDS ARE IN THIS SHOW” is the name of the exhibit, curated by Yasamin Safarzadeh, at the Carolyn Jenkins & Jill C. Wilson Galleries at Kimball Jenkins (266 N. Main St. in Concord; kimballjenkins. com, 225-3932) through July 7. The show is described as an “inclusive, interactive, engaging

From left to right: Grace Kindeke, Anzura Gakwaya, Fisto Ndayishimiye and Rashida Eltag Mohamed. Courtesy photos.

• The sun rises on summer music series: Henniker’s Summer Concert Series kicks off on Tuesday, June 13, with music at the Angela Robinson Bandstand (57 Main St.) starting at 6:30 p.m. The summer begins with Peabody’s Coal Train on June 13, which is described on their website as a “local NH acoustic Americana 6-piece band” (see peabodyscoaltrain.org). Food trucks and restaurants will attend the concerts to sell eats for the evening, according to a press release. Admission is free (donations accepted). See henniker.org for the summer’s lineup.

Londonderry Concerts on the Common (265 Mammoth Road in Londonderry) continue with the second concert of the season on Wednesday, June 14, when the Windham Community Swing Band performs from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The schedule continues Wednesday, June 21, with Bruce Marshall and the Shadow Riders, according to a press release. Find the full line-up at concertsonthecommon.org.

• At the Currier: The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org) will feature the second of four sewing circle sessions with artist in residence Calder Kamin on Saturday, June 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Winter Garden Cafe. Drop in and join the creation of a “Dream Feather” to be sewn into a community quilt that will be revealed at the Currier’s annual Summer Block Party on Saturday, July 15, from 4 to 9 p.m., according to a Currier newsletter. All ages and skill leaves are welcome, the release said. The sewing circle will also take place on Saturdays, July 1 and July 8. Calder will also be at the Art After Work series (Thursdays from 5 to 8 p.m., when admission to the

museum is free), when people can meet her and participate in her community projects, the newsletter says.

Admission to the museum ($15 for adults, with discounts for seniors and students; kids 12 and under are free) is free to all New Hampshire residents on Saturday, June 10, as part of the museum’s second Saturday program. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, plus 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.

On Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. Jon Brooks, a New Hampshire sculptor whose work appears in the Currier collections, will hold an ARTalk for those who purchase a $75 raffle ticket, the newsletter said. The winner of the raffle will win a piece, called “Running Bench,” and visit and tour his studio; only 150 tickets will be sold. See currier.org/ event/2023-signature-raffle.

Beyond this weekend, on Thursday, June 15, curator of education and interpretation Rachael Kane will lead the final “Curator Tour” until the fall at 6 p.m., focusing on the ways textiles are represented in the museum’s collection.

And get tickets now for an ARTalk with photographer and educator Gary Sampson on Sunday, June 25, at 2 p.m. “Samson will offer insight into how New Hampshire photography fits into the larger picture of art history with a special focus on the legacy of Lotte Jacobi. Following the talk, the artist will lead a brief gallery conversation focusing on regional photographic traditions,” the newsletter said. Tickets cost $15.

• One-night screening: The documentary Traces of the Trade: A Story from the

NH Master CHorale

The 30-voice chamber choir New Hampshire Master Chorale celebrates its 20th anniversary with two concerts this month, according to a press release. The concerts, themed “What (Only) Music Can Do,” will be performed Saturday, June 17, at 7 p.m. at the South Congregational Church (27 Pleasant St. in Concord) and on Sunday, June 18, at 4 p.m. at the Congregational Church in Plymouth. Tickets (which are available at the door or via nhmc. ticketleap.com/20years) cost $30 — $25 for seniors and free for students from kindergarten through undergrad, the release said. The concert will feature several pieces including “a pinwheel of favorites from the last 23 seasons,” the release said. Courtesy photo.

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

& Theatre Summer Camp with Tami Sciola

Jon Brooks, Running Bench, 2021.

Deep North will screen Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m. at the Church of the Good Shepherd (214 Main St. in Nashua), in collaboration with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua and the Reconciliation Commision of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, according to a press release. The film looks at the descendants of the DeWolf family of Rhode Island and their role in the slave trade, according to a press release. The screening is open to the public and will be followed by a panel discussion (see cgsnashua.org/events/ film-traces-of-the-trade for information on the panelists), the release said. See the trailer for the documentary on tracesofthetrade.org.

• New skills: The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen in Meredith (279 Daniel Webster Hwy.; 279-7920, meredith.nhcrafts. org) has classes on the schedule for the end of June. On Saturday, June 24, from 10:30 to 4:30 p.m. learn to make a silver pendant with a bezel-set stone with League-juried artist Joy Raskin; tuition costs $75 per student plus a materials fee that varies based on silver and gemstones, according to a press release. On Sunday, June 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. learn to make a shadow box with League-juried artist Patsy Fraiser; tuition costs $40 plus materials fee of $20 paid to the instructor, the release said. Call or go online to register.

• One City, One Book: This year’s “Nashua Reads: One City, One Book” selection is Hell of a Book by Jason Mott, according to a press release from the Nashua Public Library (2 Court St. in Nashua; nashualibrary.org, 589-4610). “Winner of the National Book Awards 2021 for Fiction, Hell of a Book is a groundbreaking and inventive novel about a Black author who sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. Masterfully weaving together three narrative strands — an unnamed author, a boy named Soot, and a figure known as The Kid — Mott creates a heartbreaking work that goes to the heart of racism, police vio-

lence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans, and America as a whole,” the release said. Programming for Nashua Reads will begin in the fall but more than 75 print copies of the book are available now at the library as well as large print, e-book and audio book versions, the release said. Mott is slated to visit the library on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 2 p.m. for a “Beyond the Book” dicusssion. Tickets to the even cost $10 and can be purchased at the library or at Eventbrite.

• Author events at Balin: Benji Wozniak, a writer, comedian and the host of the Woz Happening podcast, will be at Balin Books (375 Amherst St. in Nashua; balinbooks. com, 417-7981) on Saturday, June 24, at 2 p.m. to discuss his book Hodge Podge

• Author events at Gibson’s: Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St. in Concord; gibsonsbookstore.com, 224-0562) has several book events coming up in June. Author, hiker and parent Sarah Lamagna will discuss her new guidebook Hiking with Kids in New England: 50 Great Hikes for Families will discuss her book on Saturday, June 10, at 11 a.m. at Gibson’s. Debut authors Jean Duffy (author of the narrative nonfiction book Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World) and Bev Stohl (author of Chomsky and Me: A Memoir) will be at Gibson’s on Tuesday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m. Children’s authors Kari Allen (Maddie and Mabel Know They Can, the third Maddie and Mabel book) and Amy Makechnie (The McNifficents) will be at Gibson’s on Tuesday, June 27, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. to sign copies of their books. Marielle Thompson will discuss her debut novel, Where Ivy Dares to Grow: A Gothic Time Travel Love Story, on Friday, June 30, at 6:30 p.m. at Gibson’s. Gibson’s will participate in a virtual event involving author Juno Dawson, who will discuss her new novel The Shadow Cabinet on Wednesday, June 21, at 7 p.m. Register online for the event only or for a book-andticket bundle.

tiNy Beautiful tHiNgs

Theatre Kapow wraps up its 15th season with a production of Tiny Beautiful Things, which runs Friday, June 9, through Sunday, June 11, at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com). Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed and adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos, this production is the first of the play in New Hampshire, according to a press release. The play tells the story of Sugar, an online advice columnist (Strayed was the author of the “Dear Sugar” advice column). The performances are Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. See tkapow.com. Carey

Cahoon as Sugar in theatre KAPOW’s Tiny Beautiful Things based on the book by Cheryl Strayed at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage in Concord from June 9 to June 11. Photo by Matthew Lomanno.

and bold curation of innovative artists who actively shape their communities as educators, organizers, activists and facilitators,” according to the website. Find gallery hours, which vary weekly, on the website.

• “THREADS AND WHERE

THEY LEAD” New Hampshire

Art Association Artist Michelle Peterson has her paintings on display in an exhibit called “Threads and Where They Lead” at the Concord Chamber of Commerce (49 S. Main St., Suite 104, in Concord; concordnhchamber. com) through Friday, July 7. “In the artwork string is depicted in patterns and shapes that reference the playground pastime of cat’s cradle. ‘By using symbols such as a water bottle, rocks, birds and hands interspersed and oriented around visible and invisible strings, I begin to map a personal psychogeography,’ says Peterson,” according to a press release. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• “NEST” exhibition at Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen), on view through Sept. 1.

Juried by Pam Tarbell, this showcase features the works of New Hampshire artists exploring the literal and metaphorical dimensions of the concept of “NEST.” The gallery is open Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Call 975-0015 or visit twiggsgallery.org.

theater

Shows

• WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF produced by Not Too Loud Productions will run at the Hatbox Theatre (270 Loudon Road in Concord; hatboxnh.com, 715-2315) through

Sunday, June 22, with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets cost $22, $19 for seniors & students.

• JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT The sungthrough musical comedy will run at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) through Sunday, June 25. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $30 to $51.

• NEWSIES The Disney musical Newsies at the Seacoast Rep (125 Bow St., Portsmouth, seacoastrep.org) will run through Saturday, July 8. Shows are Thursday through Sunday, with showtimes at 2 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. that vary every day. Tickets start at $35.

• THE MUSIC MAN The Palace Youth Theatre is putting on The Music Man at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org) Thursday, June 8, at 7 p.m. Ticket prices range from $12 to $15.

• MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL will be presented at the Nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St. in Nashua; nashuacenterforthearts.com, 800-6578774) on Saturday, June 10, at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Individual tickets start at $39 plus fees.

• TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed, will be presented by Theatre Kapow on Friday, June 9, and Saturday, June 10, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. at Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh. com).

• FAME Live forever at Palace Teen Apprentice Theater’s production of Fame on Tuesday, June 13, and Wednesday, June

ND

14, at 7 p.m. at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org). Tickets cost $12 to $15.

• CHICAGO Palace Teen Company is serving up all that jazz with Chicago on Tuesday, June 20, and Wednesday, June 21, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre. org). The shows are at 7 p.m. and tickets cost $12 to $15.

• BE MORE CHILL Cue Zero Theatre (cztheatre.com) presents the musical Be More Chill at the Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway in Derry; derryoperahouse.org) Friday, June 23, through Sunday, June 25.

classical

Includes classical, folk, heritage, pops, American songbook and other musical events.

Events

• REGGAE FESTIVAL The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (222 Court St. in Portsmouth; 570-8469, blackheritagetrailnh.org) will hold its Reggae Festival on Saturday, June 17, at Strawbery Banke Museum (14 Hanover St. in Portsmouth) from noon to 10 p.m. — the lineup so far includes Marcia Griffiths, Glen Washington, Brigadier Jerry, Nadine Sutherlan, Lady G and Onyx Brown, all accompanied by Derrick Barnett and the Statement Band, the release said. See blackheritagetrailnh.org/reggae-festival.

• ARIAS AND APERITIVO

Opera New Hampshire has announced that its annual “Arias and Aperitivo” will return in person this fall, with the date and location TBA. The fundraising event will feature an evening of live performances, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and a large array of silent auction items. Visit operanh.org.

Like many an eventual cultural touchstone, 1928 silent film The Wind was a bust at the box office (its box office is recorded as a loss of $87,000), and it came out as movie audiences were turning to sound films, according to Wikipedia. But the movie, which includes actress Lilian Gish’s final starring role in a silent film, is considered a classic of early film and was selected for preservation in 1993 in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant,” according to a press release on Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. at Wilton Town Hall Theatre (40 Main St. in Wilton). The film will be screened with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis. Admission is a suggested Actress Lillian Gish stars in ‘The Wind’ (1928)

insi D e/ O utsi D e granite state Pride

Celebrate Pride Month with local festivals, parades and more

By Maya Puma listings@hippopress.com

June is Pride Month and Manchester, Concord, Nashua and Windham are among the several New Hampshire cities and towns planning events to show support for the LGBTQ community.

In its first year, the nonprofit Manchester True Collaborative is partnering with YWCA New Hampshire and Queerlective to plan a week-long celebration of Pride events, beginning on Saturday, June 10, and leading up to the festival on Saturday, June 17, at Vet-

erans Memorial Park — the latter will also include a “Queer Art Extravaganza” with a photo booth, interactive art displays and live performances.

Founded in the summer of 2022, Queerlective is a New Hampshire-based organization that works to promote local LGBTQ communities through art, according to founder Randall Nielsen.

“We really believe that art is such a great tool to connect and engage people, so we always make sure there’s some aspect of art to any gathering we put together,” Nielsen said.

upcoming Pride festivals and celebrations

• Sunday, June 11, noon to 3 p.m.: Windham High School (64 London Bridge Road; see windhamdei.org)

• Saturday, June 17, 1 to 7 p.m.: Veterans Memorial Park (723 Elm St., Manchester; a full week’s worth of other Pride festivities is planned from Saturday, June 10, leading up to the day of the festival; see manchestertrue.org)

• Saturday, June 24, 2 to 6 p.m.: Nashua

Public Library (2 Court St.; see nashuanh. gov/1217/nashua-pride-festival)

• Saturday, June 24, noon to 5 p.m.: Market Square (downtown Portsmouth; see seacoastoutright.org)

• Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16; and Friday, July 21, and Saturday, July 22: Multiple locations around Concord (see capitalcitypridenh.com for the full schedule)

Manchester Pride week

Kicking things off for Pride Week in the Queen City, on Saturday, June 10, at 8 p.m., will be “Layers of Identity: A Visual Exploration,” presented by Mosaic Art Collective at the Currier Museum of Art. According to James Dzindolet of Manchester True Collective, the show will feature several artists celebrating diversity and inclusion in a wide range of art and media forms.

Stark Brewing Co. will then host “Queen City’s a Drag” on Monday, June 12, at 8 p.m.; that will be followed by a free “Youth Pride Hop,” on Tuesday, June 13. Those 21 and under are invited to Boards & Brews at 3 p.m., where they will then migrate to a few other nearby participating businesses, some of which will offer food while others will showcase live performances. Maps of the scheduled Youth Pride Hop route will be given out to participants at Boards & Brews.

The festivities return to Stark Brewing Co. on Wednesday, June 14, with a Pride-themed Karaoke Night at 7:30 p.m. The main event on Thursday, June 15, is a “Femmes and Thems” Night, happening at Breezeway Pub

on the North End of Elm Street. That event is 21+ and will feature comedy from Mona Forgione, Jai Demeule and Holly Smith, beginning at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Manchester City Hall will hold a flag raising at noon on Friday, June 16, and Breezeway Pub will host a drag roulette at 10 p.m. that evening. Pride festivities will then culminate with the main event that Saturday, from 1 to 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, where you’ll find food trucks, local vendors and artist displays. An afterparty will follow at 8 p.m. at Jewel Nightclub.

“We’re hoping for, between the week of events and the day of, at least a couple thousand folks from the Manchester area and southern New Hampshire area,” Dzindolet said. “I love it when everyone comes together because there’s just so many talented people.”

Hippo is looking to bring on a weekly Hippo delivery person for the Manchester or Nashua areas. Drivers use their own vehicle to deliver the Hippo to various locations in Manchester or Nashua on Wednesdays or Thursday during normal business hours. Route averages about 4 to 5 hours. This is a contract position and drivers must have a valid driver’s license and auto insurance.

Nashua Pride event. Courtesy photo.

More local Pride events

Beyond Manchester, events celebrating Pride Month are scheduled to take place in several other communities big and small.

Windham’s third annual Pride festival, for instance, is happening on Sunday, June 11, from noon to 3 p.m. at the town’s high school. The event will have more than 40 vendors, live bands, poets, face-painting, lawn games, children’s activities and more.

“It’s important for small communities to have Pride, just as much if not more important than large cities,” said Katrine Strickland, communications director of Windham Citizens for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “This is really important for folks to know their neighbors, [and that] the people they see at the grocery store and the soccer field support them.”

Windham DEI, according to chairperson Jackey Bennett, is 100 percent volunteer-run, regularly accepting donations to support local diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“[It’s] really important to highlight the family aspect, as Windham is full of families,” said Bennett, who added that the town high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance Club designs buttons to be given out during the festival.

Nashua’s annual Pride festival, returning to the Gate City on Saturday, June 24, includes a parade that starts at Elm Street Middle School at 2 p.m. The route, which makes its way up Main Street and ends at the Nashua Public Library, is free to walk in, although advance signups online are recommended.

From 2 to 6 p.m. the festival will take place in the library parking lot and feature more than 40 local vendors, a stage with live entertainment, food trucks and lawn games. New this year is a photo booth, while there will also be an indoor drag show at 3 p.m. inside

insiDe/OutsiDe TREASURE HUNT

Dear Donna, What’s your thought on old glasses? We found three pairs in my parents’ estate. Any value to them, or are they throw-aways?

Thanks.

Scott

Dear Scott, Antique spectacles are some of the most common pieces to find in old estates. There is a long and interesting history that goes along with them. This pair is bifocals so not as early as some. Bifocals came later, invented by Benjamin Franklin.

In general most antique glasses run in the range of $10 a pair. They are bought today for many decorative reasons. If the rims are real gold and not plated or gold-filled, they have a much higher value, and there can be some exceptions, as always, for rarer ones.

the Court Street Theater and another at 8 p.m. at Martha’s Exchange Restaurant & Brewery, according to Kathleen Palmer, communications and special projects coordinator for the office of the mayor.

Pride in July

In Concord, Capital City Pride will host four events over two separate weekends in July.

According to chief officer Journee LaFond, the decision to hold Concord’s Pride celebration in July was a calculated one, as that way it didn’t interfere with any events scheduled in June.

“I hope that people support Pride and come out with each other and really revel in the support and the love that our community has to offer,” LaFond said.

Capital City Pride will kick off with a community art event on Saturday, July 15, at Kimball Jenkins, where there will be a vendor marketplace, live music and food, as well as a collaborative art piece from Queerlective.

The following day, Kimball Jenkins will continue the festivities with a Pride family picnic at noon, featuring live music, a petting zoo, face-painting and even a roller derby demonstration.

On Friday, July 21, head to Teatotaller on Main Street for a “Spill the Tea” event.

“It starts out as an open-mic type of situation for folks to share their coming out stories, or just stories of resilience or stories of joy, especially this Pride Month.” LaFond said. “Then we follow it up with karaoke. People share their stories with us and we sing back to them.”

Wrapping things up is an after party on Saturday, July 22, at the Bank of New Hampshire Stage, featuring a drag show, dancing and a vendor marketplace.

So my answer, Scott, is not to throw them away. Have them checked by an antique dealer or jeweler for gold first and possibly a sale.

Thanks for sharing with us, Scott.

Donna

Donna Welch has spent more than 30 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing, and recently closed the physical location of From Out Of The Woods Antique Center (fromoutofthewoodsantiques. com) but is still doing some buying and selling. She is a member of The New Hampshire Antiques Dealer Association. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at footwdw@aol.com, or call her at 3916550 or 624-8668.

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queen of the garden

All hail the tomato!

By Henry Homeyer listings@hippopress.com

For me tomatoes are the best-tasting and most important vegetable I grow. I eat them raw in salads and sandwiches or cooked in soups and stews. I dehydrate some, I freeze many whole, and I make some sauce for quick dinners in winter. But they are not grown without difficulties — and some-

Heartbreak is rare. More than 10 years ago something called “late blight” came early and infected tomatoes all over New England. Plants blackened and died, and the fruits rotted quickly, becoming

Varieties of tomatoes have been bred to resist late blight since that fatal summer. The only one I have grown is called ‘Defiant,’ developed by Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It is a nice F-1 hybrid with 4- to 6-ounce fruits that appear early. It is a determinate tomato, which means that it produces a crop, then dies. Indeterminate varieties keep on producing until frost or

Of lesser portent is ‘early blight.’ Except for first-time gardeners, we all get it. It causes lower leaves to darken and dry up, but fruit is produced until all the leaves are gone. You can minimize this problem by mulching under your tomatoes with grass clippings or chopped fall leaves. You should do that now. Unlike late blight, early blight survives our winters in the soil, and splash from hard rains or watering gets

Other fungal diseases are common but can be minimized by spacing your plants well so they are not crowded. I use 24-inch spacing between plants and that seems adequate. It allows good sunshine on the leaves and breezes to keep the plants

To minimize diseases, don’t get the leaves of your tomatoes wet if you can avoid it. Avoid overhead watering devices, even though they are convenient. I use a watering wand to water my veggies as it allows me to direct the water just where my plants need it. It saves water, too, as I am not watering the walkways — and encouraging weeds there. The brand I like best is Dramm. Theirs allow good flow but are gentle on the plants.

By now most of you have planted your

tomatoes. If you haven’t, and if you think this will be a hot, dry summer, plant them deep in the soil. You can bury the root ball 6 inches down or more, and the stem will grow roots in the cooler, moister soil down deep.

Tomato plants need support. Forty years ago or so, when I was less experienced than I am now, I tried just putting straw on the ground and letting my tomatoes flop over and lay on the ground. I had heard it would work just fine, but it didn’t. It was harder to weed, and the tomatoes were more prone to rot.

Now I use tomato cages. They are an investment but last for 20 years or more, especially if you store them in the barn for winter. Get the biggest ones you can find. Generally that means a wire cage that has four legs (not three) and is 54 inches tall. These cages need to be pushed into the ground at least 6 inches so they will not tip over. If you have rocky soil you may have to try several positions before you can install it deep enough.

Alternatively, you can buy 5- or 6-foot hardwood stakes. These are one-inchsquare stakes that come with a pointed end that you can drive into the soil with a hammer — small rocks or not. But you have to tie your tomatoes to the stakes as they

Remove tomato suckers early and often.

Photo by Henry Homeyer.

The leaves here have been killed by a blight, which is common, but does not affect the fruit

Photo by Henry Homeyer.

grow up. You can use old rags to tie them on, or sisal twine. Don’t use plastic twine as the vines may get damaged when they are loaded with heavy tomatoes. You may need to tie your tomatoes onto cages, too.

Throughout the summer you should prune out excess “suckers” that grow between the main stalk and a branch. These are just little shoots that develop into branches that clutter up the interior of your plant. They can shade out leaves and encourage diseases. If your plants get too tall in late summer, cut off the tops. This will keep the plants in their cages and putting their energy into producing fruits, not growing taller.

I grow at least a dozen Sun Gold cherry tomato plants each year. Each plant produces more tomatoes than I can count (even if I take off my socks to use both my fingers and toes). They are supremely tasty fresh, and are great dried and saved for

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soups and stews. I cut each tomato in half and use a food dehydrator to get it ready for storage. Later, I add them to soups, stews — and even scrambled eggs.

Big tomatoes can be frozen whole and stored in zipper bags, or chopped and stored in quart jars in the freezer. They aren’t suitable for sandwiches, but they are organic and tasty in cooked dishes.

If you freeze tomatoes whole, all you need to do is make sure they are clean. When you take them out of the freezer, you can remove the skins easily if you want by running them under hot tap water and rubbing gently.

No matter what I do with tomatoes, they always add flavor to any dish. I can’t wait for this season’s crop to be ready.

Henry is a UNH master gardener and the author of four gardening books. Reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net.

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Fun in the sun

• Help the Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road, Bedford) feed feathered friends on Friday, June 9, at 10 a.m. Kids will create ornaments using black oil sunflower seeds and then have the chance to walk around the farm, feeding the seeds to the birds. This program is geared toward kids between 18 months and 8 years old. Tickets cost $25 per child and can be purchased at theeducationalfarm.org.

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• Holman Stadium (848 W. Hollis St., Nashua) is doing a Fun in the Sun Color Run on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m. The one-mile or 5K course is open to children, adults, families and teams. The event is hosted by the Nashua Silver Knights and benefits the Lil’ Iguana’s Children’s Safety Foundation. Registration starts at $20. More information can be found at funinthesun.redpodium. com/fun-in-the-sun-color-run-2023.

• Join in the Zorvino Vineyard Kids Fishing Derby on Sunday, June 11, at 8 a.m. at the vineyard (226 Main St., Sandown). Kids ages 2 to 15 can win prizes for longest fish, most fish caught, and first to catch five fish. There is a list of rules for kids to follow available to look at when purchasing tickets. Tickets cost $5 per child and can be completed at zorvino.com.

• The Seacoast Science Center (570 Ocean Blvd., Rye) is hosting a World Ocean Day Celebration in honor of its 31st birthday on Sunday, June 11, at 10 a.m. There will be local scientists, divers, artists and conservationists at the event to help people learn about the oceans of the world. There will be educational activities and demonstrations, hands-on games, naturalist-led tide pooling sessions, and a beach cleanup. Tickets cost $20 for nonmember adults, $15 for nonmember children, $5 for Seacoast Science Center members, free for children younger than 2 years old. Visit seacoastsciencecenter.org for more information.

• Join the Amherst Public Library on Wednesday, June 14, for a concert and picnic to kick off its summer programs. Ben Rudnick & Friends, a band that plays different kinds of music from country to bluegrass and rock to second-line New Orleans, will perform.

The picnic and concert will be on The Village Green (0 Main St.) at 6:30 p.m. For more information visit amherstlibrary.org.

Movie night

• Smitty’s Cinema (630 West Main St., Tilton) will have a sensory-friendly showing of The Little Mermaid (2023) on Sunday, June 11, at 11:30 a.m. The showing will have the lights of the theater turned on and the volume of the movie turned down to make it a calmer experience for smaller kids. The movie follows mermaid princess Ariel as she chases after true love in the human world. Tickets cost $11 and can be purchased at smittyscinema.com.

• See Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at Chunky’s Cinema in Manchester (707 Huse Road, Manchester) as part of the theater’s sensory showing on Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m. The movie theater will have the lights turned up and the movie’s sound turned down. The movie follows Miles Morales, one of the multiverse’s Spider-Men, on a new reality-twisting adventure to save the world. Tickets cost $6.49 and can be purchased at chunkys.com.

i ndoor activities

• On Saturday, June 10, at 11 a.m., Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord) is hosting New Hampshire author and hiker Sarah Lamagna, who will be sharing her new guidebook, Hiking with Kids New England: 50 Great Hikes for Families . Lamagna welcomes kids to the book event, and she’ll give parents some tips and tricks for taking kids on hikes and outdoor adventures. For more information about this event, visit gibsonsbookstore.com.

• The Colonel Shepard House (29 Mount Vernon St., Milford) is hosting a Summer Afternoon Tea on Sunday, June 11, at 1 p.m. The gathering will feature a summertime selection of snacks, sweets, and, of course, teas. Tickets cost $40 per person and can be purchased at thecozyteacart.com.

The Little Mermaid.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

car shop’s transparency raises more questions than answers

Dear Car Talk:

By Ray Magliozzi

Am I a chump? I went for my oil change and free inspection at my Honda place. My friendly service advisor came over to review the inspection results.

I could see through the window into the shop area that my Civic was in pieces from the “inspection,” and my wheels were lying on the shop floor. My advisor recommended a tire rotation, and I agreed to pay for it. Then I started thinking — the wheels were already off the car. Were they not going to put them back on? Should I really have paid for something they were going to do anyway — put my tires back on the car? Is there more to it than that?

— Craig

I’d say your Honda service guy is the chump for letting you see the car with its wheels off before selling you a tire rotation, Craig.

I think this is a legitimate charge but a case of poor timing. If you had agreed to a tire rotation up front, and then you saw them inspecting the brakes for free while the wheels were off, would you have complained? Or course not.

So, here’s what happened in your case. The “free inspection” they give you is not a wholly

humanitarian gesture. It’s designed to let them see if there are other services you need.

The inspection may turn up an oil leak, worn out brake pads, bald tires, etc. Which they then can offer to fix for you. So, your inspection turned up nothing. That’s good. It also suggests that these guys are honest. All they found is that your tires were due to be rotated.

Now, having already pulled the wheels off to check your brakes, if you were the mechanic, would you put the wheels back on and then ask if the customer wanted his tires rotated?

No. You’d say, why don’t I wait and see if he wants a tire rotation before I put the wheels back on. So, he asked the service advisor, and the service advisor got your approval.

Now, I can see why that would annoy you. And to be honest, in our shop, if we had your wheels off for some other reason, we’d rotate the tires for free because it’s no big deal. But shops aren’t obligated to provide services for free. They’re entitled to charge you fairly for their service and expertise.

Dear Car Talk:

My mom loves your column in the newspaper and reads it all the time! You answered a question from a reader who wanted the most comfortable possible seat for his wife with-

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out spending a fortune, and you suggested buying a used luxury car. The day my mom read that article, we went and found a certified pre-owned, 2020 Mercedes Benz E300 at our local dealer. The car has 36,000 miles and has a factory/dealer warranty until November 2025 for free. I bought an extended warranty for two more years until November 2027 for $3,245. I also bought prepaid service for the 40,000, 50,000 and 60,000 services (or next three years, whatever comes first) at a cost of $2,150. I was told the 50,000 and 60,000 services are more costly including spark plug replacement. We are low mileage drivers so I will be lucky if we reach between 50,000 and 60,000 miles by 2026. I wanted to know if the extended warranty and prepaid services are good investments or not for a car of this age and miles as I can cancel both and get my money back. — Andrew Well, they’re great investments for your mom, Andrew. She won’t have to spend anything for the next three years. I think it’s safe to say you’ve been written back into the will, my friend.

Let’s start with the pre-paid service because that’s easier to evaluate. Your dealer has preset prices for these services. So just ask to see the regular prices for each service — as if you

drove in off the street. Then compare the two. .

My primary concern about the prepaid service is that your mom doesn’t drive a lot. Of those pre-paid services, the 60,000-mile service is by far the most expensive. And that’s the one you’re least likely to be able to claim. So, I’d consider going a la carte on the services unless there’s no time limit on cashing them in.

The warranties are always more of a toss-up and depend as much on your own psychology as they do on the car. If you’re the kind of person who will be stressed about a potential costly repair surprise (and Mercedes are expensive cars to repair), then a warranty buys you a certain peace of mind, and that has value.

You just want to be sure it’s a good warranty. If what you bought is an extension of your factory warranty, provided by Mercedes, then you should be in good shape. If it’s a third-party warranty, you’ll want to find out more about what it covers and doesn’t cover.

Unless you love to read fine print, you might stop in and talk to the service manager at the dealership. Ask him what kinds of things this warranty doesn’t cover, in his experience. If it’s a solid warranty, I think you’ve done a wonderful thing for your mom and bought her a nice car and freedom from worries.

Visit Cartalk.com.

3.

Hippo Publisher Jody Reese

FOOD west side roasts

William & Sons Coffee Co. now open in Manchester

News from the local food scene

By Matt Ingersoll food@hippopress.com

• Weddings and wines: Join Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St.) in welcoming LaBelle Winery owner and winemaker Amy LaBelle on Sunday, June 11, from 4 to 6 p.m. — she’ll be there to present and sign copies of her debut book, Wine Weddings: The Ultimate Guide to Creating the Wine-Themed Wedding of Your Dreams. Released Dec. 16, the book offers advice on planning and hosting weddings of every size and type, covering everything from choosing invitation designs and wedding favors to creating your own menu of signature drinks and wine choices. Admission is free and the event will include a wine tasting. During New Hampshire Wine Week, LaBelle’s Amherst location (345 Route 101) will also present A Celebration of Women Winemakers, a special fourcourse wine dinner happening on Wednesday, June 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Amy LaBelle will be joined by fellow winemaker Lisa Evich of Simi Winery in California to provide commentary on their philosophies and selected pairings throughout the evening. The cost is $99 per person — purchase tickets online at labellewinery.com, where you can view the full menu.

• A Jewish feast: Online ordering for the 26th annual New Hampshire Jewish Food Festival, presented by Temple B’nai Israel (210 Court St., Laconia), opens on Sunday, June 11, and will continue through Sunday, July 9. Menu items will include savory brisket with gravy, freshly sliced corned beef, pastrami and tongue from Evan’s New York Style Deli in Marblehead, Mass., as well as sweet creamy noodle kugel and a vast assortment of other home-cooked Jewish foods and pastries, most of which use recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Since the pandemic struck in 2020, festival organizers have continued with an online ordering and pickup system. Those who place their orders online will be prompted to select a time on either Friday, July 21, or Saturday, July 22, at Temple B’nai Israel. Visit tbinh.org/food-fest-menu to view the full menu.

• Let’s talk tomatoes: Save the date for a special in-person workshop on growing and harvesting tomatoes presented by UNH Cooperative Extension master gardener Will Lowenthal and happening at New Hampshire Audubon’s Massabesic Center (26 Audubon Way, Auburn) on Thursday, June 22,

By Matt Ingersoll mingersoll@hippopress.com

While living in Brazil with his wife, Patty, Jonathan Hutchins became interested in the world of specialty coffee. He opened a small boutique roaster in the southeastern city of Porto Alegre, with the mission to bring the hard work of coffee farmers harvesting high-quality beans to the forefront. William & Sons Coffee Co., named after Hutchins’ father, was born.

“My dad didn’t work with coffee, but he was just an inspiration for me to start the company, and so that was how we came up with the brand name,” Hutchins said.

Fast forward to 2021 and Hutchins, a Maine native, found himself returning home to New England. By the end of that year he would launch a small roasting lab in the town of Loudon.

Around that time Hutchins became connected with the owner of Mi Vida Cafe, formerly located at the intersection of Amory and Laval streets. When that shop closed and the space became available, Hutchins saw a unique opportunity.

On May 12, William & Sons Coffee Co. opened a retail location where its

william & sons coffee co.

Where: 489 Amory St., Manchester

Hours: Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Sundays.

More info: Visit wsonscoffee.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram

own roasted coffees sourced from multiple growing regions around the world are available hot and iced, in addition to a selection of teas and a small offering of baked goods like muffins and cinnamon rolls. Hutchins continues to operate out of his Loudon facility, where all his beans are still roasted.

“We weren’t really planning on opening up a shop,” he said, “but I had met a lot of the neighbors in the area here on the West Side, and it’s just an incredible community with amazing people. … I kind of liked doing that model versus putting something on Elm Street.”

Hutchins is a certified Q grader, or a licensed specialty coffee tasting professional as recognized by the Coffee Quality Institute. He sources his beans from as far away as African countries like Kenya and nations like Papua New Guinea, each unique for their own tasting notes.

“We have a lot of farmer friends in Brazil,” he said. “I have contacts with importers, and I do direct trade with some Brazilian farmers. … To start off our shop, we have a good friend of ours in Brazil who actually sent us 40 pounds of green coffee just to have for the inauguration, so that’s been kind of special. That’s our espresso that we’re using right now, and we’ll have other different coffees that we feature from different parts of the world in the future.”

William & Sons offers a full line of hot and iced coffees, with a variety of different roast styles. Hutchins said the “more fruit-forward” tastes of a super

light roasted coffee are among the shop’s specialties, which he said are meant to showcase its origins. Coffee drinks can be made with whole milk, oat milk or halfand-half, in addition to several optional flavor shots and sweeteners.

Other options include freshly brewed teas, as well as some other specialty drinks from hot chocolates to iced mochas and bubble teas. Hutchins also produces a small selection of baked goods out of his Loudon roasting facility, like cinnamon rolls, muffins and brownies.

In the few weeks that Hutchins has been open for business, he said, the West Side community has welcomed him with open arms. You can’t miss the unique chocolate brown-colored building on the street corner — coffee lovers have already made it their new home to work on their laptops, in addition to many others that use it as a pit stop for their morning’s cup of joe.

“We’ve got like 10 or 15 people that have come in every single day since we’ve opened, and it’s just been really fun meeting a lot of different people every day,” Hutchins said.

William & Sons Coffee Co. Photos by Emma Catherine Photography.

get your greek fix

Yiayia’s Greek Night Out to return after long hiatus

By Matt Ingersoll mingersoll@hippopress.com

It was late 2018 when Concord’s Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church began hosting Yiayia’s Greek Night Out, an ongoing series of community events that feature Greek food demonstrations centered around traditional dishes, followed by dinners of the dish and dancing in the church hall. The sixth and most recent in-person event took place on March 14, 2020.

“It was right before everything was closed down,” the Rev. Constantine Newman of the church said. “I remember we had a very light turnout that day because everything was still sort of iffy.”

More than three years later Holy Trinity is now getting ready to revive the popular community event. Yiayia’s Greek Night Out is set to return on Saturday, June 17, and will feature the eggplant-based moussaka as its instructional centerpiece.

Past cooking demonstrations have featured other authentic Greek items like spanakopita (spinach pie), baklava, tsoureki (Greek Easter bread) and dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves). Newman said the events were born out of the growing interest in Greek food outside the church community.

yiayia’s greek night Out

When: Saturday, June 17, 5 p.m.

Where: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 68 N. State St., Concord

Cost: $15 per person

More info: Visit holytrinitynh.org, call 225-2961 or email htgoc@comcast.net

Holy Trinity continues to hold monthly drive-thru Greek boxed dinners to go and is planning a flea market for later this summer where gyros and baklava will be available for sale.

Moussaka, Newman said, is similar to a Greek lasagna, but with eggplant instead of pasta.

“It’s not a complex dish but it takes a lot of time,” he said. “You need to thinly slice the eggplants and then roast them so that the moisture comes out. Then you layer eggplants and potatoes, and in between those layers is a meat and tomato sauce with spices. Then it’s topped off with a béchamel. … What we usually do is the demonstration dish is sort of a small one that we cook there on the spot, and beforehand we’ll have everything else made.”

Trays of finished moussaka prepared before the event will be served after the demonstrations, along with a side of Greek potatoes, a salad, and Greek cookies and ice cream for dessert. Music and dancing are expected for the duration of the event.

The $15 entry admission, Newman said, is available at the door. Collected proceeds go toward the event’s sponsor, Holy Trinity’s Mother Maria of Parish Outreach Ministries.

“They try to take care of people in the parish that are in need, or various charitable organizations throughout the city,” Newman said. “We’ve given donations to the [Concord] Coalition against Homelessness, the Friends of Forgotten Children, and Waypoint. … So the money that we collect … goes to helping needy people in general in our area.”

Photo courtesy of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Concord.

Hurray for Parfaits!

Kitchen

WiTH SHErri MalouF aNd SHElby MalouF-PiETErSE

Sherri Malouf and her daughter, Shelby Malouf-Pieterse, are the owners of Piggy Sue’s Steakin’ Bacon (steakinbacon.com, find them on Facebook), a bacon-themed mobile food trailer that hit the road last summer. Among the trailer’s signature items are the bacon steak skewers, featuring half-inch-thick cut slices of bacon on a stick, with the added option of chocolate sauce. Other staples include a bacon poutine with homemade gravy and chewy cheese curds; and fried ice cream, featuring your choice of toppings like whipped cream, sprinkles, hot fudge, Oreo crumbs and more. Piggy Sue’s sports a unique rubberhose art style that’s easy to spot — just look for the trailer’s titular mascot on the side.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

Shelby: Either my tongs or my fry scoop.

What would you have for your last meal?

Shelby: A medium-rare rib-eye steak, with caramelized onions on top and then probably some mashed potatoes and roasted veggies on the side. A full meal.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Sherri: Buckley’s [Great Steaks] in Merrimack, to go along with the steak theme!

Shelby: The one that first came to mind is actually Ming Du, and they are in Hillsborough. They have fantastic Chinese food — something about it is just better compared to all of the other places around me.

What celebrity would you like to see ordering from the food trailer?

Sherri: Morgan Freeman!

Shelby: I would love to see a chef, really just any celebrity chef. Honestly, I would probably just freak out if Gordon Ramsay came up

Homemade chocolate balls

to my truck and ate a piece of my bacon. … I would die a little on the inside, I’d be so happy.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

Sherri: I think probably for me it would be the bacon skewer with chocolate on it.

Shelby: I love it all! I think I’m going to have to say the poutine with the bacon on top, though.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Sherri: People seem to love the wood-fired pizzas. We just talked to someone recently who said he’d really like to do a wood-fired pizza food truck.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Sherri: I love to do the Bell & Evans boneless skinless chicken thighs. I do this marinade that is out of this world, and then I smoke them.

Shelby: I usually like just cooking really well-rounded meals. — Matt Ingersoll

From the kitchen of Sherri Malouf and Shelby Malouf-Pieterse of Piggy Sue’s Steakin’ Bacon

12 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces

¾ cup sweetened condensed milk

Pinch of salt

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon vanilla

Granulated sugar (optional: flaked coconut, sweetened cocoa powder or instant coffee)

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate over hot but not boiling water. Stir in the condensed milk, salt, walnuts and vanilla. Set the mixture aside to cool until it’s easy to shape into balls. Roll balls into sugar or other optional ingredients.

weekly Dish

Continued from page 26

from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Lowenthal will discuss the many challenges that can arise when growing your own tomatoes and will demonstrate different support methods, from staking and caging to overhead trellising. He’ll also show attendees how to properly prune tomatoes to control growth and improve disease prevention. The workshop will take place primarily

outdoors, so dress accordingly for the weather and prepare for a short walk over grassy, flat but uneven terrain. Registration is required by June 20 — the cost is $10 for Audubon members and UNH Extension master gardeners, and $15 for non-members. Visit nhaudubon. org or call the Massabesic center at 668-2045 to register.

Sherri Malouf (right) and her daughter, Shelby Malouf-Pieterse, of Piggy Sue’s Steakin’ Bacon. Courtesy photo.

Drinks with John FlaDD

cucumber fizz

On a good day, a cucumber is 96 percent water. That hydrocentic (a word I just made up and am very pleased with) nature of a cucumber lends itself really well to cocktails. If you can extract the water? It’s bonded with cucumber flavor. That makes for a very good syrup. If you chop a cucumber up and soak it in alcohol, the volatile enzymes that give the cucumber its flavor are happy to jump ship and bond with the alcohol instead of the water. The more finely you chop it, the more surface area you provide for this reaction to play out. Let’s do this.

cucumber syrup

(Trust me; it’s delicious.) Wash an English cucumber — one of the long, plastic-wrapped, ridgey ones — and chop it into medium (1/2-inch) dice. You don’t have to peel it or even remove the stem.

Put the cucumber pieces into a bowl, and put the bowl in your freezer. You can use any kind of container you like, but an opentop bowl will make your freezer smell like cucumbers. Which is nice.

Inside the cells of the cucumber, ice crystals will start to form. It will probably take an hour or two for the cucumber chunks to freeze up completely.

Using a kitchen scale, weigh the cucumber pieces in a small saucepan, and add an equal amount of sugar by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, a typical English cucumber will probably give you around three cups of diced up chunks. This will probably weigh around the same as 1¾ cups of white sugar.

Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. The first time you do this, you will be shocked at how much liquid comes out of the cucumbers. (It’s around 96 percent water, remember?)

At some point, crush the soggy cucumber pieces with a potato masher to coax even more liquid out.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir it for a few seconds, to make sure that all the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let it sit for half an hour or so, then, using a finemeshed strainer and a funnel, pour it into an empty bottle. In my experience, it will last

about a month in your refrigerator. You will probably end up with about two cups of syrup.

cucumber gin

(This is even more straightforward.) Wash, but don’t peel, some cucumbers.

Put the cucumbers and an equal amount of gin, by weight (see above) in your blender. Because your goal is to overwhelm the gin with cucumber flavor, you can get away with using a fairly non-fancy gin (I like Gordon’s). Blend at the lowest speed for about a minute. The goal here is to chop the cucumbers up pretty finely, to give them more surface area exposed to the alcohol. You’re not actually trying to puree it or anything.

At this point, you will have a bright green mixture that looks like hot dog relish. Pour it into a wide-mouthed jar, label it, and store it somewhere cool and dark for seven days, shaking it two or three times per day.

Strain and bottle it. If you let it set for another day or so, some of the tiny cucumber particles will sink to the bottom of the bottle, and you can strain it again with a coffee filter to make it prettier. Either way, it will be delicious.

cucumber fizz

(Finally!)

2 ounces cucumber gin (see above)

½ ounces cucumber syrup (see above)

3 to 5 mint leaves

5 ounces plain seltzer

lemon wedge for garnish

Muddle the mint at the bottom of a tall glass. Add ice.

Add the syrup, the gin, and then the seltzer. Squeeze the lemon wedge, then drop it into the pool. Stir.

Cucumber and mint are a classic combination. Gin loves being carbonated. The lemon gives a hint of acid that keeps the cucumber from tasting flat. This is light and fizzy and reminds you that, against all expectations, a cucumber is a fruit. It is the cocktail friend you never knew you wanted to be friends with.

I like to think that it is happy to make the sacrifice for you.

John Fladd is a veteran Hippo writer, a father, writer and cocktail enthusiast, living in New Hampshire.

Cucumber Fizz. Photo by John Fladd.

POP cu Lture

MUSIC, BOOKS, MOVIES AND MORE

cache, Cache (self-released)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, is from where this five-piece band originates; their aim, if I’m translating their onesheet correctly, is making mud-metal fun, which is far from the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard, not that the Melvins are slouches in that regard (they did record a metal version of “Dies Irae,” the opening theme to The Shining, once, never forget). This is the band’s debut EP, and whoa, I really like this already, at kickoff song “El Rudo,” a stoner-metal tune that’s got more personality in it than Queens Of The Stone Age have ever exhibited. It’s a cross between High On Fire on the instrumental end and Isis on the vocal side, mid-tempo NWOBHM stuff but not with anything annoying going on. That’s right, kids, you could do much, much worse than this, and as far as injecting a little fun, go check out “Forever in Retrograde” and its roots-punk-meets-black-metal fierceness. If your little brother is getting bullied at school, this record could change his life. Big thumbs up. A+ — Eric

W. Saeger

adekunle gold, Tio Tequila (Def Jam records)

This three-song teaser for an album to be released on Def Jam in July bills this fellow as a “master of Afropop,” which may or may not be all that accurate; to me it can often sound like a slightly inebriated Rik Rok, retrofitted with too much Auto-Tune, engaged in a search for the bubble-pop radio-matrix that loves shoving stuff like this into the ears of preteens. Don’t get me wrong, his CV is impeccable: He grew up in the city of Lagos in Nigeria, specifically the area that’s slated to become Eko City, a massive development designed to help in stopping the erosion of the city’s coastline (the breezy, shuffley “Omo Eko” pays homage to the project). An established hit has already made the rounds, “Party No Dey Stop,” an irresistibly sweet but unabashedly Afrobeat-driven joint that’s further prettified by the presence of guest chanteuse Zinoleesky’s subtle soprano. A great summer jam for sure. A+ — Eric W. Saeger

PlayliST

A seriously abridged compendium of recent and future CD releases

• June 9 is our next CD-release-jubilee Friday, and there will be new albums released on that day, by the shipload, see the ship heading to the dock right now, filled from the “aft to the stern” with new albums! Thankfully the ship didn’t encounter an iceberg or a 100-foot tidal wave on its way to the dock, because someone would be making a movie about it right now, meaning we’d have to be subjected to more “acting” from Ryan Reynolds and the other three or four elite actors who are the only ones who get invited to make blockbuster movies these days, you know? What’s that?

Yes, you’re right, I’m just jealous of play-to-the-back-of-the-theater hacks like Ryan Reynolds, and that’s why I became an art critic, just so I could work off my soul-deep envy, because if there’s anything I could get out of this life, it would be the starring role in a Paul Blart, Mall Cop: Who Blarted alongside Kristen Schaal or some other insanely gifted artiste lady. Satisfied? Yes, I became a rock critic because I wanted to hurl insults at bands and artistes who deserve much better treatment, and speaking of that, let’s go ruin the day for fans of Godflesh, whose new LP, Purge, is just coming out right now! Wait a second, I like this band, if I recall correctly, let me go look. Right, they’re not God Lives Underwater, a band I like, and they’re not Godsmack, a band I never really cared about because they were a local band that got a big record contract while my band was struggling to get a European record contract, so yes, I’m envious of them. While all this is going on, Godflesh rules, if you like stuff like Crowbar or Melvins, devastatingly heavy stuff. The new “single,” for lack of a better word, is “Nero,” comprising a nasty, caterwauling riff that evokes slow-motion math metal or emo. I’ll stamp this as 90 percent awesome and we can proceed with the rest of this.

• So King Krule is the stage name of an Englishman named Archy Ivan Marshall whose trip is indie, jazz fusion, hip-hop and other genres. His new album is Space Heavy, and the whole record is on YouTube if you want it and can find a YouTubeto-MP3 converter that won’t turn your computer into a doorstop. One of the tunes is “Seaforth,” a sunny but miserable little ditty that sounds like really sad Gorillaz or Crash Test Dummies, depending on how old you are. It’s got this feather-light half-unplugged guitar part that seems to go on forever and the whole thing is about as interesting as a potato-baking contest, so let’s drop this business and go on to something else, that’d be great.

• Like King Krule, Youth Lagoon is another pseudonym occasionally deployed by a millennial with a jones for bad indie rock, but you know what was great about today? My commute to the office was all green lights for once, and YouTube hasn’t been making me watch a bunch of Liberty Mutual commercials, they’re just letting these dumb songs play without making me wait, hence I’m receptive to this person’s music for the moment, so I’m listening to “Idaho Alien,” the new single from his forthcoming album Heaven Is A Junkyard. Maybe it’s owed to the fact that I hated that King Krule tune, but this one’s good overall, the dude sings kind of like Kim Carnes before she wrecked her voice. Ha ha, this guy could have at least tried not to make it so obvious that all the up-votes and comments are from the same bot farm, jeez Louise.

• We’ll close with The Boo Radleys, whose new album, Eight, includes the song “Seeker,” which sounds like Maroon 5 trying to do ska, and no, I can’t imagine what could be worse than that, for the record. — Eric W. Saeger

NOTE: Local (NH) bands seeking album or EP reviews can message me on Twitter (@esaeger) or Facebook (eric.saeger.9).

Soul Boom, by Rainn Wilson (Hachette Go, 275 pages)

The shelf life of The Office and its cast seems eternal, even though it’s been 18 years since the sitcom’s debut. The actors keep turning up in other roles, in podcasts and in a surprising number of books, the latest from Rainn Wilson, who played the quirky paper salesman Dwight Schrute on the long-running NBC series.

It was the kind of iconic role that is hard to escape later in one’s career. Like Bob Odenkirk will always be Saul Goodman to fans of Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, Rainn Wilson will always be Dwight Schrute, which is a bit of a problem for someone who is now selling spirituality. As great as that character was, he would not be my first choice for discussing the mysteries of the universe, human consciousness, God and death.

But following his passion, Wilson founded a media company that he, perplexingly, called “Soul Pancake” and currently stars in a streaming travel show called The Geography of Bliss. It’s hard to see his third book, Soul Boom, as anything but other than a marketing vehicle for the show, given its timing and its promotion of The Geography of Bliss. But maybe it would at least be funny, I thought.

Sadly, not, at least not in the smart, sly way that The Office is funny. It’s lighthearted and at times amusing, but Wilson’s folksy style of writing often deteriorates into words that really should not be on the printed page, as in this cringy sentence from the preface: “So … OK to move forward on the old booky-wook?”

Really, it was not — he lost me at bookywook — but I soldiered on, hoping for improvement.

Wilson grew up in a family of Baha’is, members of a monotheistic faith that teaches progressive revelation — the idea that God is so far beyond our comprehension that existential truths must be revealed to humans gradually through holy teachers like Jesus, Mohammed and the Buddha. Its founder and prophet, Baha’u’llah, was, to the mind of young Wilson, “loving and reasonable” with “absolutely no fire-and-brimstone qualities.” Although he left the faith for a time in his 20s (“For a couple of years, I even tried on athe-

books

author events

• KEVIN DUNN and MICHAEL FOURNIER will be at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) on Thursday, June 8, at 5 p.m. in a group author reading to discuss their books. Dunn is the author of Vicious is My Middle Name, and Fournier is the author of Swing State.

ism like some jaunty, rebellious cap!”), he eventually returned to it.

But Soul Boom is not a cometo-Baha’u’llah book. Wilson does not seem particularly interested in recruiting people to his faith, but just in expanding our spiritual consciousness generally. He believes that nothing less than a spiritual revolution can solve the problems the world faces. And although he’s not hard-line preachy about it, he does want us to believe in God and the continuation of consciousness after death. You can’t have a “soul boom” without belief in a “soul,” after all.

Wilson’s own belief in an afterlife solidified at the time of his father’s death of heart disease when, after life support was removed, he recognized that “This body, this vessel was not my father. … The still, vacant body on that hospital bed in the ICU was simply a suit he once wore.”

That leads into a discussion of consciousness that is informed by Wilson’s deep reading in philosophy and disparate religious traditions. He notes that for all our scientific advances, human consciousness is largely a mystery. He then invites us to think about death, a topic that he tried to address in a reality-type TV show called My Last Days. (The studios passed.)

Again, he was failed by an editor, who left intact sentences like this one: “But what, exactly, does death put into perspective? Why, the preciousness of life, you big silly willy.”

This is the problem with celebrities writing books. Editors are so star-struck that they obsequiously leave in sentences — indeed, sometimes whole paragraphs and chapters — that should never have survived the first draft. It is this sort of silly-willyness sprinkled throughout that drags Soul Boom to a literary nether level. It’s unfortunate, because there are some moving passages in the book and Wilson, despite admitting that he hasn’t read some of the books from which he quotes, has clearly thought deeply about the material.

In one chapter, he writes about the importance of pilgrimages and describes his

• CHAD FINN will discuss his book The Boston Globe Story of The Red Sox at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) on Thursday, June 8, at 6:30 p.m.

• SARAH LAMAGNA will discuss her guidebook Hiking with Kids New England at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) on

family’s trip to visit the Shrine of Bahji in Israel, where the founder of the Baha’i faith is buried. After sitting on the floor and praying there for over an hour, Wilson writes, he found that his world had shifted. “It’s like when you hit your windshield wipers and spritz the glass in front of you and all of a sudden you realize just how dirty it had been. Just like that, you can see everything outside your car with a renewed clarity. It was like that. Only in my heart,” he writes.

Without proselytizing, Wilson rues the way in which our culture has turned away from words like “sacred,” “holy” and “reverence” and is losing touch with religious traditions of all kinds, to include those practiced by Native Americans. “In fact, my life in 2023 Los Angeles is pretty much lacking in anything remotely sacred or spiritually connected. It’s all iPhones, quickly devoured sandwiches and leaf blowers. It’s texts and podcasts and emails. It’s pressured phone calls, calendars, and a nonstop newsfeed.” But he points out that the problem is not capitalism, per se. While our society is los ing touch with the sacred, even businesses created for profit can be meaningful places — he gives as an example the Seattle restau rant where he and his wife had their first date, before taking up the question “What makes something sacred?”

Ultimately Wilson proposes seven pillars of a spiritual revolution, which, while not terrible, are disappointingly platitudinal and sound more political than spiritual. (They include “Celebrate joy and fight cynicism,” “Build something new; don’t just protest” and “systematize grassroots movements.” It’s all fine, in the way that fast-casual restaurants are fine, and I’ll admit to being impressed that he’s friends with noted theologian David Bentley Hart and quotes from a wide range of poetry and scholarly books. (He also includes a list of recommended reading, which is also admirably diverse.)

As celebrity books go, it’s a pleasure to find one that takes on life’s biggest questions, but there’s nothing here that seems especially revolutionary. C — Jennifer Graham

Saturday, June 10, at 11 a.m.

• AMY LABELLE will be at Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) on Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m. to discuss her book Wine Weddings.

• JEAN DUFFY and BEV STOHL, will talk about their books at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore. com) on Tuesday, June 13, at

6:30 p.m. Duffy is the author of Soccer Grannies: The South African Women Who Inspire the World. Stohl is the author of Chomsky and Me: A Memoir

History, stories & lectures

• ROBERT B. PERRAULT will present “Putting Human Facers on the Textile Industry: The Workers of the

Amoskeag Manufacturing Company” on Wednesday, June 14, at 6 p.m. in the Manchester City Library auditorium (405 Pine St., Manchester, 624-6550). The program is sponsored by the NH Humanities Council. Signup is not required, but sign up on the library’s online events calendar for a reminder email. Call 624-6550, ext. 7620, or email cdionne@manchesternh.gov.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Pg)

re-enter the comic-bookily animated world of Miles Morales, a Spider-Man but not the only Spider-Man, in Spider-Man: across the Spider-Verse, a beautiful and fun new adventure.

Miles (voice of Shameik Moore) is doing a shaky job at balancing his life as a promising student at a smart-kid school who is carrying his parents’ — Rio (voice of Luna Lauren Velez) and Jefferson (voice of Brian Tyree Henry) — big expectations for his future and his job as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. This is perhaps why he’s a little too flip and dismissive when battling the “villain of the week” The Spot (voice of Jason Schwartzman), whom he ditches to rush to a parent-principal conference. The Spot was himself messing with multi-verses; one experiment brought a certain radioactive spider to the Miles Morales world. But then he was blown up in an explosion I sort of remember from the first movie and now he is partly made of wormhole. We first meet him trying to use his wormholes to break into an ATM at a bodega. But then he realizes he can wormhole into himself and then travel through various universes — such as a universe entirely of Lego, for example, or one where New York City is called Mumbattan and is a massive, Mumbai-like megalopolis (with its own Spider-Man, one Pavitr Prabhakar voiced by Karan Soni). This multi-verse-hopping and the associated destruction bring the attention of an elite group of Spider-persons who go around fixing multiverse breaches. One of these Spiders is the Spider-Woman Gwen Stacy, known as Wanda (voice of Hailee Steinfeld) when Miles first met her in the last movie. He is delighted to see her and when he learns that her visit to his universe was part of a mission, he decides to follow her into the multi-verse. Thus does he meet other Spiders she works with: Jessica Drew (voice of Issa Rae), a motorcycle-riding bad-ass Spider-Woman who kicks bad-guy butt while being pregnant; Miguel O’Hara (voice of Oscar Isaac), the very intense leader of the Spider team; Hobie (voice of Daniel Kaluuya), a supercool Sex-Pistols-y British punk Spider-Man whose friendship with Wanda makes Miles all jelly, and returning Spider-Man Peter B. Parker (voice of Jake Johnson), who I thought of as the schlubby Spider-Man in the first movie and who now wears a BabyBjorn-type pouch to carry around his Spider-powers-having toddler Mayday.

At first, Miles is eager to be a part of this supercool team of Spider people. But then he starts to become uneasy with their philosophy of putting adherence to canon and the

events that make a Spider-Man who they are in all timelines — the death of an uncle, the crushing of a police captain — even over the life of, say, Miles’ dad, a police officer on the brink of promotion to captain.

It’s a nice bit of business, toying with the whole “canon” thing. Do all Spider-Man stories need an Uncle Ben-type to die after telling that universe’s Spidey that with great power comes great responsibility? Can Miles make his own choices, be both the city’s Spider-Man and a loving son? This movie seems to be folding in some “thinking about fans thinking about franchises” in its story of a teenager finding his way. And it folds in cinematic Spiders-Man past, from a little nod to the tangential Venoms to a nice cameo from an iteration of the last live-action Spider-Man. It ‘s a lot, but it all works and comes together to make something that feels like a fun recognition of all the ways we’ve seen Spider-Man over the last twoplus decades while also being its own thing.

Of course, all of this, good though it is, is very secondary to this movie’s visuals, which are absolutely beautiful and would, if this movie did nothing else right (and it does lots of things right), make this movie a “year’s best” contender on their own. This movie looks great. It does such awesome things with illustration style and color and little touches with the build of this character or the style of that one to convey who they are. It also uses these visuals to augment the emotions in a very comic book/ graphic novel way, playing with color when, for example, Wanda tries to talk to her police captain dad (voice by Shea Whigham) to show them either far apart or coming together. Or playing with scale or with the size of the characters in the frame. It’s such a joy to look at and it gives the movie a liveliness that makes it feel shorter than its over twohour runtime.

I’ll spoil this much about how Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ends — it doesn’t. We get the words “to be continued” on the screen and while that sort of thing

normally drives me nuts (focus on the movie we’re currently watching, not the sequel! — is my usual anguished cry) I don’t think it gets in the way of enjoyment of this movie. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is so enjoyable that I don’t mind having sat through a 140-minute Part 1 and am excited for March 2024 when, Wikipedia says, I’ll get to see Part 2. A

Rated PG for sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. I would definitely let a tween kid watch it but might hold off for younger elementary kids. Common Sense Media, which tends to be a decent judge, pegs it at 9+. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson with a screenplay by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is two hours and 20 minutes long and distributed in theaters by Sony Animated Pictures.

You Hurt My Feelings (r)

Julia louis-dreyfus accidentally glimpses behind the veil of niceties that keeps marriage and society functional in you Hurt My Feelings, a smart if meandering comedy written and directed by Nicole Holofcener.

Beth (Louis-Dreyfus) is a moderately successful writer whose memoir did OK but whose latest book is not getting the interest she’d hoped for from her publisher. What do they know, your book is great, her husband, Don (Tobias Menzies), assures Beth, always responding to her request to read drafts by telling her how much he likes it. But then, while Beith is shopping with her sister Sarah (Michaela Watkins), Beth and Sarah overhear Don telling Sarah’s husband, Mark (Arian Moayed), how much he doesn’t like the book. Sarah is devastated — that her husband would lie to her, that he would dislike this book that she considers such a part of herself.

She doesn’t tell Don right away that she knows his true feelings, and thus he is bewildered with her anger at him. Of course all around this one untruth are a swarm of other things people say out of kindness and encouragement: Beth telling her college writing students that their pieces and ideas are good and interesting; Sarah always telling Mark what a great actor he is; Beth telling Don that he doesn’t look tired (Don is a therapist and one couple basically tells him he looks too tired for them to expect much out of him that day); both Beth and Don encouraging their definitely bright and talented son Eliot (Owen Teague), definitely too bright and talented to be working at a pot shop in Brooklyn, a-hem, they nudgingly say to him.

Even Beth seems to realize both that her hurt is real and that there really isn’t anything else Don could have said to her. They are a solid couple who love each other and love their son, who loves them back, even if all three of them annoy the poo out of each other at times. All four members of the central two couples dramatically state a desire to pitch their chosen career, which feels like a very normal reaction to having just enough success to feel like you should have more success and a general exhaustion with whatever the difficulties of said career are (other people, usually). There are few real problems here, just little pinpricks of annoyance at life, conveyed in familiar ways.

You Hurt My Feelings does feel longer than its 93 minutes but it is also at its best when giving its attention to one moment, one conversation and all the layers of things happening within it. This movie is very good at letting you see everyone’s discomfort and feel all the adjustments they’re making in the moment to try to keep on trucking through the conversation or the situation. This movie isn’t particularly buoyant but it is light and it never takes itself too seriously or tips into mockery of its characters.

Louis-Dreyfus is, naturally, the standout here. She just radiates genuine good-hearted imperfection. Like, yes she is this un-selfaware but also she’s not terrible. And, sure, she is the beautiful actress we’ve seen on TV for decades but she’s also able to access the goofy awkwardness of a real human. She helps make this solid if not brilliant movie enjoyably watchable. B

Rated R for language and for, like, who under the age of “I pay for my own health insurance” is watching this film?, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (see also 2013’s Enough Said and 1996’s Walking and Talking), You Hurt My Feelings is an hour and 33 minutes long and distributed in theaters by A24.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Film Venues

Chunky’s Cinema Pub

707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com

Fathom Events

Fathomevents.com

The Flying Monkey

39 Main St., Plymouth, 5362551, flyingmonkeynh.com

Milford Drive-In

531 Elm St., Milford, milforddrivein.com

O’neil Cinemas at Brickyard Square

24 Calef Hwy., Epping, 6793529, oneilcinemas.com

Park Theatre

19 Main St., Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org

Red River Theatres

11 S. Main St., Concord, 2244600, redrivertheatres.org

Rex Theatre

23 Amherst St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org

Smitty’s Cinema

630 W. Main St., Tilton, 2863275, smittyscinema.com

Wilton Town Hall Theatre

40 Main St., Wilton, wiltontownhalltheatre.com, 654-3456

• Anxious Nation (NR, 2023) will offer a free screening at Smitty’s Cinema in Tilton on Thursday, June 8, at 4 and 6 p.m. with a panel of mental health experts between the two screenings.

• You Hurt My Feelings (R, 2023) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord Thursday, June 8, at 4:15 & 6:30 p.m.; then at the Simchik Cinema Friday, June 9, through Sunday, June 11, at 12:30, 2:45 & 5 p.m.; Monday, June 12, and Tuesday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 15, at 5 p.m.

• Sanctuary (R, 2023) will screen at Red River Theatres, in the Simchik Cinema, in Concord Thursday, June 8, at 4:30 5 6:45 p.m.; Friday, June 9, through Sunday, June 11, at 7:15 p.m.; Wednesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 15, at 7:15 p.m.

• Book Club: The Next Chapter (PG-13, 2023) will screen at Park Theatre in Jaffrey through Thurs-

day, June 8, at 6:30 p.m.

• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (PG, 2023) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord on Thursday, June 8, at 4 & 7 p.m.; Friday, June 9, through Sunday, June 11, at 1, 4 & 7 p.m.; Monday, June 12, and Tuesday, June 13, at 7 p.m.; Wednesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 15, at 4 & 7 p.m.

• Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (PG-13, 2023) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord Friday, June 9, through Sunday, June 11, at 1:45, 4:15 & 6:45 p.m.; Monday, June 12, and Tuesday, June 13, at 6:45 p.m.; Wednesday, June 14, and Thursday, June 15, at 4:15 p.m.

• The Princess Bride quotealong screening (PG, 1987) event at Red River Theatres in Concord on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m. Special prizes for best costumes and trivia, according to the website.

• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (PG, 2023) will screen at O’neil Cinemas in Epping on Saturday, June 10, at 10 a.m. as a sensory-friendly screening.

• The Little Mermaid (PG, 2023) Smitty’s in Tilton will offer a sensory-friendly screening on Sunday, June 11, at 11:30 a.m.

• The Wind (1928) a silent film starring Lillian Gish will screen with live musical accompaniment by Jeff Rapsis at Wilton Town Hall Theatre on Sunday, June 11, at 2 p.m. Suggested donation of $10.

• Hairspray (PG, 1988) 35th anniversary screenings via Fathom Events will take place Sunday, June 11, at 4 p.m. at O’neil Cinemas in Epping, AMC Lon-

donderry and Cinemark Rockingham Park in Salem as well as Regal Fox Run in Newington (where it will also screen at 7 p.m) as well as all of those locations on Wednesday, June 14, at 7 p.m.

• Kiki’s Delivery Service (G, 1989) will screen via Fathom Events’s GKIDS Presents Studio Ghibli Fest 2023 on Sunday, June 11, at Cinemark Rockingham Park in Epping at 4:15 p.m. and Regal Fox Run in Newington at 4 and 7 p.m.; Monday, June 12, at 7 p.m. at Regal Fox Run and Cinemark Rockingham Park, and on Wednesday, June 14, at Regal Fox Run at 7 p.m. and Cinemark Rockingham Park at 7:10 p.m.

• Soul Doctor, the Broadway musical filmed live, will screen on Tuesday, June 13, at Cinemark Rockingham Park at 7 p.m.

• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (PG, 2023) all three NH Chunky’s will hold a sensory-friendly screening on Wednesday, June 14, at 4 p.m.

• 2023 World Tour Paddling Film Festival featuring “the year’s best paddling films showing destinations and adventures in whitewater, canoeing, sea kayaking, and SUP” according to the website, will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord on Wednesday, June 14, at 7 p.m.

• The Big Lebowski quotealong screening (R, 1998) event at Red River Theatres in Concord on Thursday, June 15, at 7 p.m. The screening will feature White Russians and prizes for best costumes, according to the website.

Last Week’s Answers:

By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com

• Trailblazer: With now grown-up fans called Debheads, Debbie Gibson remains a model for modern performers. In the late ’80s she wrote, sang and produced hits like “Electric Youth” and “Lost in Your Eyes.” Later she moved to Broadway, starring in Grease, Les Misérables and other musicals. Following a health scare, in 2021 Gibson released her first new pop album in 20 years, The Body Remembers. Thursday, June 8, 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, tickets $39 to $49 at palacetheatre.org.

• Generational: With plans to tour with a changing cast of up-and-coming musicians, Pat Metheny released Side-Eye in 2021, citing the platform he received from older musicians in his early days as inspiration. An area stop has the renowned jazz guitarist performing with Chris Fishman, a keyboard prodigy who began playing in Southern California bands at age 7, and New Orleans drummer Joe Dyson, a Berklee graduate. Friday, June 9, 8 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $59 to $99 at etix.com.

• Representative: Rescheduled and relocated due to weather, the all-day Exeter Arts & Music Fest has a wide range of regional talent appearing on two stages. Eclectic rockers Cold Engines headline the main stage, with support from Wood, Wind & Whisky, Marcus Robb Quartet and Tim Parent & the Grim Bros. A singer-songwriter tent has Elijah Clark, Liz Ridgely, Artty Francouer and three others.

Saturday, June 10, 11 a.m., Town House Common, 6 Bow St., Exeter, $10 suggested donation, see teamexeter.com.

• Café society: Brunchtime music at a downtown coffee shop is offered by Charlie Chronopoulos. Sunday, June 11, 11 a.m., Café la Reine, 915 Elm St., Manchester, see facebook.com/charliechrono.

• Partnership: Mixing blues rock and outlaw country, Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton collaborated on their new album, Death Wish Blues. No Depression called it “some of the rawest and most hard-hitting music of their careers.” The online journal Americana Highways raved over the pairing, likening it to “the charm of duets like Johnny & June Cash as well as Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood.” Wednesday, June 14, 7:30 pm., The Flying Monkey, 39 S. Main St., Plymouth, $39 and up at flyingmonkeynh.com.

nite the write stuff

Dan Crohn’s comedy craft

By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com

On his 1977 live album Let’s Get Small, Steve Martin riffs about the wonders of the world, and ends by quipping, “the most amazing thing to me is I get paid for doing this.” It’s a thought that echoes during a conversation with Dan Crohn. One reason is he credits Martin for inspiring him to become a comic, but the other is that to Crohn standup isn’t just a job. It’s a way to hang out with like-minded friends and do what he loves.

That said, Crohn is a workaholic. If he’s not on stage, he’s home in Somerville writing jokes. During a recent phone interview, it’s Tuesday night and he’s booked to do 10 minutes at Boston’s Bell in Hand. Lately he’s spent a lot of time testing material at Modern Pastry, an 80-year-old North End Italian bakery. “I always feel like if I’m not doing new stuff, what’s the point?” he said. “My jokes get old, and I get tired of them.”

Crohn did his first set in 2004 — he still has the tape. Ten years later he quit a job teaching fourth-graders to go full-time. Now he regularly headlines throughout New England and often beyond, at places like Gotham Comedy Club in New York City. In August he’ll do two nights at Helium in St. Louis, and he’s performing on a Caribbean cruise ship in late December.

When: Saturday, June 10, 8 p.m.

Where: Headliners Comedy Club, 700 Elm St., Manchester

Tickets: $20 at headlinersnh.com

Also supporting Mike Koutrobis on Friday, June 9, 8 p.m. at Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry ($22 at tupelohall.com)

As a child Crohn was a comedy nerd, encouraged by his parents. Shows like In Living Color and SNL were appointment television. His father owned a record store that provided albums and VHS tapes; he remembers hearing Henny Youngman on the family turntable at a tender age.

“My parents would go in their room and listen to Redd Foxx with the door closed.” Crohn recalled. Though less adult, his own comedy fare was captivating in its own way. “I was listening to standup very early, and got obsessed with it almost immediately.”

A year or two after turning pro, he made his own album, It’s Enough Already. In May he recorded a second, to be released later this year on Virtual Comedy Network, a label that in 2019 included him on Best of Boston Standup, Vol. 1. His clip, “I Think About Death a Lot,” discussed true crime shows that keep him paranoid and always noting the time, lest he get called as a witness. My whole life “is preparing for police questioning that’s never gonna happen,” Crohn said.

He’s had the opportunity to work with many great comics and compare notes with them, like his favorite comic, Dave Attel, who he shared the stage with at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre. “The highlight of my career,” he said. “We talked forever about it, which was really nice.”

Crohn spent a couple of years supporting Sebastian Maniscalco, and he has also opened for Nikki Glaser, John Oliver, and Jon Lovitz. In 2013 he was a panel guest on a Boston-centric episode of Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast. Another great memory is a long conversation with Steven Wright at the prestigious Nantucket Comedy Festival.

“Writing is my favorite part of this,” he said. “My second is getting to work with incredible acts.”

COMEDY THIS WEEK anD bEYOnD

• Mike Koutrobis/Dan Crohn/Jen Howell Tupelo (10 A St., Derry, 437-5100, tupelomusichall.com), Saturday, June 10, 8 p.m.

• Dan Crohn Headliners (DoubleTree By Hilton, 700 Elm St., Manchester, headlinerscomedyclub.com), Saturday, June 10, 8:30 p.m.

• Jimmy Dunn LaBelle Winery (14 Route 111, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com), Thursday, June 15, 7 p.m.

• Rachel Feinstein Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress

St., Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall.org), Friday, June 16, 8:30 p.m.

• Bert Kreischer Bank of NH Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, 2934700, banknhpavilion.com), Saturday, June 17, 5:30 p.m.

• Juston McKinney Rochester Opera House (31 Wakefield St., Rochester, 335-1992, rochesteroperahouse.com), Saturday, June 17, 8 p.m.

• Brian Beaudoin Headliners in Manchester (headlinerscomedyclub.com), Satur-

day, June 17, 8:30 p.m.

• Brian Regan Palace, Thursday, June 22, 7:30 p.m.

• Steve Scarfo Headliners in Manchester (headlinerscomedyclub.com), Saturday, June 24, 8:30 p.m.

• Lenny Clarke Rex (23 Amherst St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre. org), Friday, July 7, 7:30 p.m.

• Bob Marley Colonial Theatre (609 Main St., Laconia, 800-657-8774, coloniallaconia.com), Friday, July 7, 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, July

For Crohn, the discipline of standup is part of its appeal. “A great comic, Nick Di Paolo, once said, ‘Oh, you’re funny off the cuff, well, that’s why you become a comedian — now go write some jokes.’ I believe that it’s a lot harder to write jokes and entertain people. When you’re just making stuff up, that’s improv. If you wanna do improv, go for it.”

To that end, he didn’t share the antipathy many comics had toward online shows during the pandemic. “I love Zoom,” he said. “I approached it as a way to workshop jokes, with cards and my notes out. I refused to let that muscle atrophy.”

On the other hand, crowd work — the comic’s euphemism for bantering with an audience — holds little appeal for Crohn.

“I hate it! I like writing,” he said. “The craft of standup, the editing and the refinement of material, is what I’m addicted to the most. I love how jokes work, and I love how my jokes work specifically. I love the creative process. It’s what drew me to it originally, and it’s what continues to sustain me in a business that shouldn’t be called a business.”

All the while, the words of his wild and crazy comedy idol ring in his ears. “I continue to be enamored about it to this day,” Crohn said. “I still can’t believe that people give me money.”

8, 8 p.m.

• Kathleen Madigan Casino Ballroom (169 Ocean Blvd., Hampton Beach, 9294100, casinoballroom.com), Saturday, July 22, 8 p.m.

• Robert Kelly Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St., Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall.org), Thursday, July 27, 8:30 p.m.

• Demetri Martin Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St., Concord, 225-1111, ccanh.com), Saturday, Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m.

• Colin & Brad: Scared Scriptless Rex (23 Amherst St., Manchester, 668-5588,

Jimmy Dunn

palacetheatre.org), Sunday, Sept. 17, 7 p.m.

• Nurse Blake Chubb Theatre (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com, Saturday, Sept. 23, 8 p.m.

Dan Crohn. Courtesy photo.

Dan crohn

alton

Foster’s Tavern

403 Main St., 875-1234

alton bay

Dockside Restaurant

6 East Side Drive, 8552222

auburn Auburn Pitts

167 Rockingham Road, 622-6564

bedford

Copper Door 15 Leavy Dr., 488-2677

Murphy’s Carriage House

393 Route 101, 4885875

T-Bones

169 S. River Road, 623-7699

bow Chen Yang Li 520 S. Bow St., 228-8508

brookline

The Alamo Texas Bar-

thursday, June 8

auburn

becue & Tequila Bar 99 Route 13, 721-5000

Averill House Winery 21 Averill Road, 3712296

Concord Area 23 State Street, 881-9060

Cheers

17 Depot St., 228-0180

Courtyard by Marriott Concord 70 Constitution Ave.

Hermanos Cocina Mexicana 11 Hills Ave., 224-5669

Tandy’s Pub & Grille 1 Eagle Square, 8567614

T-Bones 404 S. Main St., 7151999

Uno Pizzeria 15 Fort Eddy Road, 226-8667

Auburn Pitts: Lisa Guyer, 7 p.m.

bedford

Copper Door: John Chouinard, 5 p.m.

Murphy’s: Ralph Allen, 5:30 p.m.; John Chouinard, 6 p.m.

T-Bones: Caylin Costello, 5 p.m.

brookline

Alamo: open mic with Travis Rollo, 6 p.m.

Concord Area 23: karaoke, 9 p.m.

Cheers: Jodee Frawlee, 6 p.m.

Hermanos: Brian Booth, 6:30 p.m.

T-Bones: Doug Thompson, 5 p.m.

derry

Fody’s: music bingo, 8 p.m.

Contoocook

Gould Hill Farm & Contoocook Cider Co.

656 Gould Hill Road, 746-3811

deerfield

The Lazy Lion

4 North Road, 463-7374

derry

Fody’s Tavern

187 Rockingham Road, 404-6946

dover

Cara Irish Pub & Restaurant

11 Fourth St., 343-4390

Fury’s Publick House

1 Washington St., 6173633

Epping Holy Grail 64 Main St., 679-9559

Railpenny Tavern

8 Exeter Road, 7342609

Telly’s Restaurant &

Epping

Railpenny: Thomas Boisse, 6 p.m.

Telly’s: Sam Hammerman, 7 p.m.

Gilford

Patrick’s Pub: Don Severance with Paul Costly and Paul Luff, 6 p.m.

Goffstown Village Trestle: D-Comp, 6 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Adam Luffkin, 7 p.m.;

Granite Lion, 8 p.m.

CR’s: Just the Two of Us +1, 6 p.m.

L Street: Justin Federico, 7 p.m.

Smuttynose: Rob & Jody, 6 p.m.

Wally’s: Karaoke, 8 p.m.

Whym: music bingo, 6 p.m.

Hudson

Luk’s: Brother Seamus, 7 p.m.

Lynn’s 102: karaoke w/ George

Music, live and in person

These listings for live music are compiled from press releases, restaurants’ websites and social media and artists’ websites and social media. Call the venue to check on special rules and reservation instructions. Get your gigs listed by sending information to adiaz@hippopress.com.

Pizzeria

235 Calef Hwy., 6798225

Epsom Hill Top Pizzeria

1724 Dover Road, 7360027

Exeter Shooters Pub

6 Columbus Ave., 7723856

Gilford

Patrick’s

18 Weirs Road, 2930841

Goffstown

Stonebridge Country Club

181 Gorham Pond Road, 497-8633

Village Trestle 25 Main St., 497-8230

Hampton

Bernie’s Beach Bar 73 Ocean Blvd., 9265050

Bogie’s

Bisson, 8 p.m.

T-Bones: Johnny Angel, 5 p.m.

Kingston

Saddle Up Saloon: karaoke w/DJ

Jason, 7 p.m.

laconia

Fratello’s: Phil Jacques, 7 p.m.

Tower Hill: karaoke w/ Luke

Skyrocker, 8 p.m.

londonderry

Stumble Inn: Mugsy Duo, 7 p.m.

Manchester

Cactus Jack’s: Sean Coleman, 5 p.m.

City Hall Pub: The Latchkey

Gang Band, 7 p.m.

Currier: Chad Verbeck Duo, 5 p.m.

Derryfield: Gypsy Wild Duo, 6 p.m.

Firefly: Chris Perkins, 5 p.m.

Foundry: Andrea Paquin, 5 p.m.

Fratello’s: Chris Cavanaugh, 5:30 p.m.

Goat: Cox Karaoke, 8 p.m.

KC’s Rib Shack: Doug Mitchell, 6 p.m.

Murphy’s: Chris Fraga, 5:30 p.m.

Strange Brew: Jon Ross, 8 p.m.

32 Depot Square, 601-2319

CR’s The Restaurant 287 Exeter Road, 929-7972

The Goat

20 L St., 601-6928

L Street Tavern 603 17 L St., 967-4777

North Beach Bar & Grill

931 Ocean Blvd., 9674884

Sea Ketch

127 Ocean Blvd., 9260324

Shane’s Texas Pit 61 High St., 601-7091

Smuttynose Brewing 105 Towle Farm Road

Wally’s Pub 144 Ashworth Ave., 926-6954

Whym Craft Pub & Brewery 853 Lafayette Road, 601-2801

Henniker Colby Hill Inn 33 The Oaks, 428-3281

Merrimack

Hudson The Bar 2B Burnham Road

Luk’s Bar & Grill 142 Lowell Road, 8899900

Lynn’s 102 Tavern 76 Derry Road, 9437832

T-Bones 77 Lowell Road, 8826677

Jaffrey Park Theatre 19 Main St., 532-9300

Kingston

Saddle Up Saloon 92 Route 125, 3696962

laconia Belknap Mill 25 Beacon St. E., No. 1, 524-8813

Bernini Pizzeria and Wine Bar 1135 Union Ave., 5278028

Fratello’s 799 Union Ave., 5282022

Tower Hill Tavern 264 Lakeside Ave.,

Ogden, 6 p.m.

366-9100

The Wreck Yard 322 Lakeside Ave.

londonderry

Coach Stop Restaurant & Tavern 176 Mammoth Road, 437-2022

Stumble Inn 20 Rockingham Road, 432-3210

Manchester

Backyard Brewery 1211 S. Mammoth Road, 623-3545

Bonfire 950 Elm St., 663-7678

CJ’s 782 S. Willow St., 6278600

City Hall Pub 8 Hanover St., 2323751

Currier Museum of Art 150 Ash St., 669-6144

Derryfield Country Club 625 Mammoth Road, 623-2880

Firefly

21 Concord St., 935-9740

The Foundry 50 Commercial St., 836-1925

Fratello’s 155 Dow St., 624-2022

The Goat

50 Old Granite St.

The Hill Bar & Grille McIntyre Ski Area, 50 Chalet Ct., 622-6159

KC’s Rib Shack 837 Second St., 627RIBS

Murphy’s Taproom 494 Elm St., 644-3535

Olympus Pizza 506 Valley St., 644-5559

Salona Bar & Grill 128 Maple St., 624-4020

Shaskeen Pub 909 Elm St., 625-0246

South Side Tavern 1279 S. Willow St., 935-9947

Stark Brewing Co. 500 Commercial St., 625-4444

Strange Brew

Acoustic, 6 p.m.

Telly’s: Tim Theriault, 8 p.m.

Homestead: Jamie Martin, 5:30 p.m.

Tortilla Flat: Dave Clark, 6 p.m.

Meredith

Giuseppe’s: The Sweetbloods, 5:45 p.m.

Milford

Riley’s Place: open mic, 7 p.m.

Nashua

Fody’s: DJ Rich karaoke, 9:30 p.m.

San Francisco Kitchen: Brad Myrick, 6:30

Shorty’s: Jordan Quinn, 6 p.m.

Portsmouth

The Goat: Erika Van Pelt Duo, 7 p.m.; Isaiah Bennett, 9 p.m.

Salem

Copper Door: Dave Zangri, 5 p.m.

T-Bones: Lou Antinucci, 5 p.m.

Seabrook

Backyard Burgers: Jennifer Mitchell, 6 p.m.

Somersworth

Earth Eagle: open mic w/Dave

Strafford

Independence Inn: April Cushman, 6 p.m.

Friday, June 9

alton

Foster’s Tavern: Tom Boisse, 6 p.m.

auburn

Auburn Pitts: 4 R Souls, 7 p.m.

bedford

Murphy’s: Dave Clark, 6 p.m.

brookline

Alamo: Clint Lapointe, 6 p.m.

Concord

Area 23: Caleb Dyer Band, 8 p.m.

Contoocook

Contoocook Cider Co.: Andrea Paquin, 5 p.m.

deerfield

Lazy Lion: live music, 6 p.m.

dover

Fury’s: Farinas and Blanco

Epping

Railpenny: Common Ground

Exeter

Shooters: Groove Cats, 6 p.m.

Gilford

Patrick’s: John Irish, 6 p.m.

Goffstown

Stonebridge: Dave Chaisson, 7 p.m.

Village Trestle: Old Gold Duo, 6 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Alex Anthony, 8 p.m.

CR’s: Ross McInnes, 6 p.m.

The Goat: Alex Anthony, 8 p.m.

L Street: Chris Powers, 8 p.m.

Smuttynose: The Conniption

Fits, 6 p.m.

Wally’s: Chris Toler, 3 p.m.

Whym: Matt Luneau, 6:30 p.m.

Henniker

Colby Hill Inn: Mary Fagan, 6 p.m.

Hudson

Luk’s: Todd Trusty, 7 p.m.

Lynn’s 102: karaoke w/ George Bisson, 8 p.m.

nite MUSIC THIS WEEK

88 Market St., 6664292

To Share Brewing

720 Union St., 8366947

Wild Rover

21 Kosciuszko St., 6697722

Meredith Giuseppe’s

312 Daniel Webster Hwy., 279-3313

Twin Barns Brewing

194 Daniel Webster Hwy., 279-0876

Jaffrey

Merrimack Homestead 641 Daniel Webster Hwy., 429-2022

Tortilla Flat 595 Daniel Webster Hwy., 424-4479

Milford

The Pasta Loft

241 Union Square, 672-2270

Riley’s Place

29 Mont Vernon St., 380-3480

Stonecutters Pub 63 Union Square, 213-

6:30 p.m.

5979

Moultonborough

Buckey’s 240 Governor Wentworth Hwy., 476-5485

Nashua Casey Magee’s Irish Pub

8 Temple St., 484-7400

Fody’s Tavern 9 Clinton St., 577-9015

Millyard Brewery 125 E. Otterson St., 722-0104

San Francisco Kitch-

en

133 Main St., 886-8833

Shorty’s Mexican Roadhouse 48 Gusabel Ave., 8824070

New boston Molly’s Tavern & Restaurant 35 Mont Vernon Road, 487-1362

Northfield Boonedoxz Pub 95 Park St., 717-8267

Penacook American Legion Post

Portsmouth

31

11 Charles St., 7539372

Portsmouth The Gas Light 64 Market St., 4309122

The Goat 142 Congress St., 5904628

Mojo’s West End Tavern 95 Brewery Lane, 4366656

Press Room 77 Daniel St., 431-5186

rochester Porter’s Pub 19 Hanson St., 3301964

Salem Copper Door 41 S. Broadway, 4582033

Luna Bistro 254 N. Broadway, 4582162

Smuttynose 11 Via Toscana

T-Bones 311 South Broadway,

893-3444

Tuscan Kitchen 67 Main St., 952-4875

Seabrook

Backyard Burgers & Wings 5 Provident Way, 7602581

Chop Shop 920 Lafayette Road, 760-7706

Red’s Kitchen + Tavern 530 Lafayette Road, 760-0030

Somersworth Earth Eagle North 350 Route 108, 8415421

Strafford Independence Inn 6 Drake Hill Road, 718-3334

Tilton Pour Decisions 500 Laconia Road, 527-8066

Windham Old School Bar & Grill 49 Range Road, 4586051

Park Theatre: Von Nebo, 5:30 p.m.

laconia

Fratello’s: Paul Warnick,7 p.m.

londonderry

Coach Stop: Peter Miles, 6 p.m. Stumble Inn: Swipe Right Band, 8 p.m.

Manchester

Backyard Brewery: Mikey G, 6 p.m.

Derryfield: The Drift Duo, 6 p.m.; Amanda Dane Band, 8 p.m.

Firefly: Doug Thompson, 6 p.m.

Fratello’s: Sean Coleman, 6 p.m.

The Foundry: Tyler Levs, 6 p.m.

The Hill: Bella Perrotta, 5:30 p.m.

KC’s Rib Shack: J-Lo Duo, 6 p.m.

Murphy’s: Sam Hammerman, 5:30 p.m.; Neon Rodeo, 9:30 p.m.

Olympus Pizza: Ken Budka, 7 p.m.

South Side Tavern: Cox Karaoke, 9 p.m.

Strange Brew: Gorilla Gang, 9 p.m.

To Share: Benjamin Harris,

Meredith Giuseppe’s: Bob Kroepel, 5:45 p.m.

Twin Barns: Pete Peterson, 5 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Chris Gardner, 6 p.m.

Tortilla Flat: live music, 8 p.m.

Milford

Pasta Loft: Fox and The Flamingos, 8 p.m.

Stonecutters Pub: DJ Dave O karaoke, 9 p.m.

Moultonborough

Buckey’s: Red Hat Band, 6:30 p.m.

Nashua

Millyard: Birch Hill Duo, 6:30 p.m.

New boston

Molly’s: live music, 7 p.m.

Northfield

Boonedoxz Pub: karaoke night, 7 p.m.

Penacook

American Legion Post 31: JMitch Karaoke, 7 p.m.

Gas Light: David Corson, 2 p.m.; Radio Daze, 7 p.m.; Scottty Cloutier, 9:30 p.m.

The Goat: Chris Toler, 9 p.m.

Salem

Luna Bistro: Chris Taylor, 7 p.m.

Smuttynose: music bingo, 6 p.m.

Tilton

Pour Decisions: Brad Myrick, 7 p.m.

saturday, June 10 alton bay

Dockside: Mike Laughlin, 8 p.m.

alton

Foster’s Tavern: Chris Lester, 6 p.m.

auburn

Auburn Pitts: live music, 7 p.m.

bedford

Murphy’s: Doug Thompson, 6 p.m.

brookline

Alamo: Travis Rollo, 6 p.m.

leslie oDoM Jr.

You might know Leslie Odom Jr. from his appearance as the malevolent tech bro in Glass Onion or his supporting role in the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, but for Hamilfans everywhere he will always be the antiheroic founding father Aaron Burr in Hamilton He makes his Granite State debut at the Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall.org) on Saturday, June 10, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $92.50 to $152.50, plus fees.

bow Chen Yang Li: Mikey G, 7 p.m.

Concord Area 23: acoustic circle, 2 p.m.; Faith Ann/Hank Osborne/The Quahogs, 8 p.m. Hermanos: live music, 6:30 p.m.

Contoocook

Contoocook Cider Co.: Tyler Levs, 4 :30 p.m.

Epping

Telly’s: MB Padfield, 8 p.m.

Epsom Hill Top Pizza: D-Comp, 8 p.m.

Gilford

Patrick’s: Joel Cage, 6 p.m.

Goffstown

Village Trestle: Jeff Mrozek, 6 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Joe Samba, 8 p.m.

L Street: Keith Crocker, 8 p.m.

Sea Ketch: Dave Gerard, 1 p.m.

Smuttynose: Ryan WIllliamson, 6:30 p.m.

Wally’s: Chris Tolyer, 9 p.m.

Whym: Chris Cavanaugh, 6 p.m.

Hopkinton

Contoocook Farm: Mikey G, 9 a.m.

Hudson

Luk’s Bar: Diversity Duo, 7 p.m.

Jaffrey Park Theatre: Bernie & Louise Watson, 5:30 p.m.

laconia

Fratello’s: Chris Taylor, 6 p.m.

Tower Hill: line dancing, 7 p.m.

londonderry

Coach Stop: Dave Clark, 6 p.m.

Stumble Inn: American Ride, 8 p.m.

Manchester

Backyard Brewery: Paul

Driscoll, 6 p.m.

Bonfire: Neon Rodeo

Derryfield: J-Lo Duo, 6 p.m.;

Radio Daze, 8 p.m.

Firefly: Liz Ridgely, 6 p.m.

Fratello’s: Clint Lapointe, 6 p.m.

Foundry: Garrett Smith, 6 p.m.

Goat: Brooks Hubbard, 10 a.m.

The Hill: David Zangri, 5:30 p.m.

KC’s: Joe McDonald, 6 p.m.

Murphy’s: Johnny Angel, 5:30 p.m.; Mo Bounce, 9:30 p.m.

Shaskeen: Sound Off Saturdays, 9 p.m.

Strange Brew: Sugar High, 9 p.m.

To Share: Paul Nelson, 5 p.m. Wild Rover: Alex Cormier, 5 p.m.

Meredith Twin Barns: Eric Lindberg, 6 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Paul Gormley, 6 p.m.

Milford

Pasta Loft: Sugar High, 8:30 p.m.

Moultonborough

Buckey’s: Bad Breath Microphone, 6:30 p.m.

Nashua

Casey Magee’s: Two Drink

Minimum, 8 p.m.

Millyard: Same in the End, 4 p.m.

New boston

Molly’s: live music, 7 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light Pub: Jodee Frawlee, 2 p.m.; Amanda Dane Band, 7 p.m.; Matt Luneau, 9:30 p.m.

The Goat: Mike Forgette, 9 p.m.

Salem

Luna Bistro: Phil Jacques, 7 p.m.

sunday, June 11

bedford

Copper Door: Phil Jacques, 11 a.m.

Murphy’s: Tim Kierstead, 4 p.m.

brookline

Alamo: Daniel Gay, 4 p.m.

Averill House: David West, 1:30 p.m.

Concord

Cheers: Lewis Goodwin, 5p.m.

Contoocook

Cider Co.: Rebecca Turmel, 3 p.m.

Epping

Railpenny: Reggae by the River, noon

Goffstown

Village Trestle: Bob Pratte, 3:30 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Alex Anthony, 8 p.m.;

Harsh Armadillo, 8 p.m.

L Street: Johnny Angel, 9 p.m.

Sea Ketch: Ray Zer, 8:30 p.m.

Smuttynose: 21st & 1st, 1 p.m.; The Drift Duo, 1 p.m.

Hudson

Lynn’s 102: Carter On Guitar, 4 p.m.

Jaffrey

Park Theatre: Ashuelot Concert Series: 4 p.m.

laconia

Belknap Mill: open mic, 2 p.m.

Bernini’s: Don Severance, 5 p.m.

Fratello’s: Ralph Allen, 6 p.m.

londonderry

Stumble Inn: Triple Play Trio, 3 p.m.

Manchester

Derryfield: Chad Lamarsh, 5 p.m.

Firefly: Chuck Alaimo, 11 a.m.

Foundry: Brad Myrick, 10 a.m.

The Goat: Mike Forgette, 10 a.m.

KC’s: Jonny Friday, 3 p.m.

Murphy’s: Matt Bergeron, 3 p.m.

Strange Brew: One Big Soul Jam, 7 p.m.

Meredith

Giuseppe’s: open mic w/ Lou Porrazzo, 5:45 p.m.

Milford

Riley’s Place: open mic w/ Blues Jam, 1 p.m.

Northfield

Boonedoxz Pub: open mic, 4 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Jordan Quinn, 2 p.m.; Dave Ayotte Band, 6 p.m.

The Goat: Rob Pagnano, 9 p.m.

Salem

Copper Door: Rob Dumais, 11 a.m.

Luna Bistro: Steve Prisby, 4 p.m.

Windham

Old School: Mike Gacek, 2 p.m.

Monday, June 12

bedford

Murphy’s: Jonny Friday, 5:30 p.m.

dover

Cara Irish Pub: open mic, 8 p.m.

Gilford

Patrick’s Pub: open mic w/ Paul Luff, 6 p.m.

Hampton Bernie’s: Francoix Simard, 8

p.m.

L Street: Dave Clark, 4 p.m.

Smuttynose: Jonny Friday, 4

p.m.

Hudson

The Bar: karaoke with Phil

Jaffrey Park Theatre: open mic, 6:30

p.m.

londonderry Stumble Inn: Lisa Guyer, 7 p.m.

Manchester

Fratello’s: Phil Jacques, 5:30

p.m.

The Goat: David Campbell, 8

p.m.

Murphy’s: Jordan Quinn, 5:30

p.m.

Salona: music bingo w/ Jennifer

Mitchell, 6 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Pete Peterson, 5:30

p.m.

Nashua

Fody’s: karaoke night, 9:30 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Tim Theriault, 7:30

The Goat: Alex Anthony, 9 p.m.

Seabrook

Red’s: music bingo, 7 p.m.

tuesday, June 13

bedford

Murphy’s: Jordan Quinn, 5:30 p.m.

Concord

Tandy’s: open mic, 8 p.m.

dover

Fury’s: Tim Theriault, 9:30 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Brooks Hubbard, 7

p.m.; Chris Toler, 7 p.m.

L Street: Craig Lacrassa, 4 p.m.

Shane’s: music bingo, 7 p.m.

londonderry

Stumble Inn: Ralph Allen, 5 p.m.

Manchester

Fratello’s: Dave Zangri, 5:30 p.m.

The Goat: Mokey Knife Fight Lite, 9 p.m.

KC’s Rib Shack: Paul & Nate open mic, 7 p.m.

Murphy’s: Krystian Beal, 5:30 p.m.

Strange Brew: David Rousseau, 8 p.m.

Merrimack

Homestead: Clint Lapointe, 5:30 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Dave Gerard, 7:30 p.m.

The Goat: Isaiah Bennett, 9 p.m.

Seabrook

Backyard Burgers: music bingo w/ Jennifer Mitchell, 7 p.m. Red’s: country night, 7 p.m.

wednesday, June 14

Concord

Area 23: open mic, 7 p.m.

Courtyard Marriott: April Cushman, 5 p.m.

Hermanos: live music, 6:30 p.m.

Tandy’s: karaoke, 8 p.m.

Uno Pizzeria: Tyler Levs, 6 p.m.

derry

Fody’s: karaoke, 7 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Luffkid, 7 p.m.; Chris Toler, 7 p.m.; Closing Time, 8 p.m.

Bogie’s: open mic, 7 p.m.

L Street: Chris Michaels, 4 p.m.

Wally’s: Chris Toler,7 p.m.

Kingston

Saddle Up Saloon: Musical Bingo Nation, 7 p.m.

londonderry

Stumble Inn: Chris Lester, 5 p.m.

Manchester

Derryfield : Pete Peterson, 6 p.m.

Fratello’s: Jeff Mrozek, 5:30 p.m.

The Goat: Mike Forgette, 10

JiM CollitoN & CHris D

Just in time for Father’s Day, Jim Colliton and Chris D stop in at the Rex (23 Amherst St., Manchester, 668-5588, palacetheatre.org) for an evening of comedy centered on soccer games, brown-bag lunches and school dropoffs. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 9, and tickets cost $25 plus fees.

an american puzzle

humor or this

6. Ed Sheeran will build a ‘House’ w/a bright red plastic one

7. Pet Shop Boys “Cause you’re __ York City boy”

8. Swedish electronic music producer/ DJ Lekebusch

9. Great White says no on ‘Love __’

10. Pet Shop Boys ‘The __ & Gomorrah Show’

11. Grand Funk “You know that __ the little girl I’m talking about”

12. ‘Turn The Page’ Bob

14. Love singer Arthur

21. Pre-dance floor, put on Gillette’s Soft & __

22. Daniel Johnston’s devilish subject matter

25. ‘00 Radiohead album about the 1st child?

26. Glenn Frey “The heat __, on the street”

27. Leader of Cradle Of Filth that is short for Daniel

28. Sound barrier breaker

29. Singer/Dukes Of Hazzard actor

Tom

30. Clapton guitarist Fairweather-Low

across

1. Black Crowes weigh exactly ‘99 __’

4. New Hampshire state flower for Jeff Buckley’s ‘Wine’

9. Horned goddess-inspired ‘In The Absence Of Truth’ metalers

13. Styx classic ‘Come __ Away’

15. Venue bigger than a theater

16. Like only original member

17. Part of ‘Money For Nothing’ band, w/Straits

18. McGuinn of The Byrds

19. Me And You And __ Named Boo

20. What The World __’

23. Hee-Haw host Clark

24. Ted Nugent, when lining up a hunting shot

25. Kim Wilde’s song for youngsters

‘__America’

29. Singer John of Bad English

32. Melody Gardot ‘Your Heart __ Black As Night’

33. NY’s __ The Buffalo

34. Legendary ‘Happy Birthday, Twenty- One!’ West

37. Creed ‘Weathered’ song for cutting rug with no break

41. ‘Imperfectly’

DiFranco

42. Chicago ‘Hard __

I’m Sorry’

43. ‘12 Madonna album

44. Brits __ Gain

45. Iconic Canadian drum cymbal company

47. Drain Sth plays ‘__

Says’

50. Say Anything

“Jesus died a __”

51. “We’re __, we’re coming to your town, we’ll help you party down”

58. ‘05 Mötley Crüe song ‘If __ Tomorrow’

59. Neil Diamond ‘I Am...__’

60. Black Sabbath & Kiss songs w/ same title ‘Into The __’

62. ‘Epidemia’ metalers Ill __

63. “Once upon __ I was falling in love, now I’m only falling apart”

64. Softrocking ‘A Love Song’ Murray

65. Mark Dinning ‘__ Angel’

66. Giver of instrument to charity

67. Classic rock radio (abbr) down

1. Kind of trip

2. ‘What If I?’ Chelsea

3. Ramones 70s label

4. “It’s going to take a lotta love” Nicolette

5. Lyrics may have often-missed

31. Christina Aguilera ‘Genie __ Bottle’

33. Filter song about medicinal amount?

34. Musical Instrument Digital Interface (abbr)

35. She ‘Begins’ w/Counting Crows on ‘August & Everything After’

36. Slide Guitarist Bob from Wilco’s ‘Being There’

38. ‘Mind, Body, & Soul’ soulstress

Joss

39. Springsteen ‘Ghost Of __ Joad’

40. Color Me Badd’s ‘I Wanna Sex You Up’ album

44. ‘93 album ‘__ Feel The Lemonheads’

45. Elvis sang ‘Return To __’ to the mailman

46. ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ Scottish funk band (abbr)

47. England dance-poppers __ Etienne

48. Like not a major label

troMBoNe sHorty

Trombone Shorty’s skills at pretty much any brass instrument have brought him from his New Orleans home to the White House. He’s jammed with Usher, Mark Ronson, and the Foo Fighters, and his role as Miss Othmar in The Peanuts Movie brought him a new generation of fans. His Orleans Avenue tour comes to the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion (72 Meadowbrook Lane, Gilford, 2934700, banknhpavilion.com) on Sunday, June 11, at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $29 to $143, plus fees. Courtesy photo.

49. Pop-punk band from Phoenix, actually

50. Trumpeter Welsh

52. Goes with GnR’s ‘Bedouins’

53. Grand Funk “His job __ make us good and to make us happy”

54. Journey keyman Jonathan

55. British reggae singer Leigh

56. Hendryx that sang on Talking Heads

‘Remain In Light’

57. 80s ‘I Like It’ singer for The Flintstones pet

61. 80s hit “Don’t turn around uh-oh, Kommissar’s in town uh-oh © 2023 Todd Santos

Todd’s new book Rock and Roll Crosswords Vol. 1 is available now on Amazon.

● Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

● The numbers within the heavily

11-25-22

outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

JOnesin’ crOsswOrD BY MATT JONES

“n ow in 3-D”— i think it’s solid reasoning.

across

1. Long Island resort town

6. Stereotypical librarian admonition

9. Disperse

14. Actress Kelly of “One Tree Hill”

15. Split tidbit

16. Garlicky spread

17. Like some religious schools

19. “Jurassic Park” actor Sam

20. Like trash that’s tampered with?

22. Sit around

23. Negative vote

24. Got confused about the meaning of “horsepower” when fixing a car?

30. Wear down

31. “None of it is true!”

32. National Coming ___ Day

35. Actor Elwes

36. Watch brand featured in the movie “UHF”

38. “Render ___ Caesar ...”

39. ___-Therese, Quebec

40. DVR brand

41. Absurd

42. European capital in a bewildered state?

46. “The missing clue!”

47. Aunt Bee’s grandnephew

48. What happened at the coronation of Charles III?

55. Put on a second time

56. Home to the Komodo dragon

58. ^ mark

59. “Lemonade” singer, to fans

60. Playful water dweller

61. Prepares for a boxing match

62. “Dynamite” K-pop group

63. Sports franchises

down

1. Rapscallion

2. Reach the sky

3. 100 centesimi, once

4. Thatcher nickname

5. Box that gets shipped

6. Cactus features

7. Keep it under your hat

8. 30 minutes, in a handball match

9. Footwear for the beach

10. Retro fashion trend

11. Churn up

12. Glamour alternative

13. Feral

18. Atmospheric obscurer

21. Alphabetical listing

24. “Doritos & Fritos” duo 100 ___

25. “I smell ___!”

51. Bee Gees surname

52. Tech news website

53. “Como ___ usted?”

54. “Carpe ___!”

57. ___ gratia artis (MGM motto)

26. “Our Town” composer Ned

27. Give permission for

28. Conk out

29. Actor Logue who played himself on “What We Do in the Shadows”

33. ___ Reader (quarterly digest)

34. Open-___ shoes

36. Costa ___

37. Ab ___ (from inception)

38. Restore, in a way

40. Redbubble purchases

41. Emphatic denial

43. More woody-tasting, like wine

44. One of the Big Three credit rating agencies

45. Beehive, for instance

48. “Lord of the Rings” monsters

49. Jump like a frog

50. Olympic swimmer Torres

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. See last week's puzzle answers on pg

© 2023 Matt Jones Puzzle

signs OF LiFe

All quotes are from Second Wind: A Sunfish Sailor, an Island, and the Voyage that Brought a Family Together, by Nathaniel Philbrick, born June 11, 1956.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) After an unsatisfactory fling with a flashy Olympic-class dinghy, I had decided to return to the boat that had given me my real start. Awww.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) I never thought I would have a midlife crisis. As far as I was concerned, all of life was a crisis. Crisis cake with a crisis frosting?

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) I was reserving judgment. Appearances, particularly when you’re looking at a distant beach, can be deceiving. Is that a sand castle or a pile of seaweed?

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) I might not have sailed on absolutely every pond the island had to offer, but I’d come as close as I needed to. And that’s what’s important.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) But then I began to wonder: What possible relevance could a two-person race with garbage bags on deck have to racing in the Sunfish North Americans? The skills will transfer.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) I should have known better. You can’t just ‘get’ a life. But you can cook dinner.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) Now that the island has made the transition from a world-renowned whaling port to an equally famous summer resort, it is still globally connected. Stay connected.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 –Jan. 19) If I couldn’t sail Lily Pond, I could at least walk it. Or roll, scoot, or hop.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 –Feb. 18) That weekend I

would voyage not only in space but also in time. I would sail from the new to the old harbor. Actually, you’re always voyaging in time.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) Did I know how cold it was out there? How windy? Find out.

Aries (March 21 – April 19) I zipped myself into my new dry suit. … Compared to my old one, the new jacket looked like the kind of thing Schwarzenegger himself might wear. It was tight and rode up high on the chest, making me look impossibly well muscled. … I was my own kind of superhero. I was Pondman. You can make it work.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) I was watching the America’s Cup on ESPN. The thing of it was, I hated the America’s Cup. Having grown up racing little sailboats on lakes, I had nothing but contempt for what the announcers kept calling ‘the holy grail of sailing.’ … Then what was I doing in front of the television? Yes, what?

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We reserve the right to refuse/cancel any sale at any time for any reason.

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government in action

A central India food inspector, Rajesh Vishwas, lost more than his phone on May 21, NBC News reported. While snapping a vacation selfie at Kherkatta Dam, Vishwas dropped his phone into the water. According to him, his device contained sensitive governmental information, so he ordered the reservoir to be drained. Vishwas said he got permission from R.C. Dhivar, a local water resources official, but Dhivar argued that he’d given permission to drain only 3 or 4 feet of water. Instead, “They had emptied the water up to 10 feet.” It took three days to drain the 530,000 gallons of water, but in the end, it was all for naught: Vishwas’ phone was unusable. As was he: He was suspended from his job pending an investigation.

rule doesn’t apply to me

ton, was arrested and detained in a negative pressure room at the Pierce County jail on June 1 after refusing for more than a year to get treatment for tuberculosis, KOMO-TV reported. A judge issued 17 orders for her to be involuntarily detained before police caught up with her. “We believe she was try ing to avoid being captured,” said Sgt. Darren Moss. Officers surveilled her while she was still at home and observed her riding a city

bus to a casino. “The health department had asked her to just do it on her own ... now she’s going to have to do it in our facility, unfortunately,” Moss said. He said TB was once common in the jail, hence the negative pressure rooms, which “isolate the air within the room so it doesn’t infect the rest of the rooms within the facility.”

rude

New York attorney Anthony Orlich is probably tearing his hair out in the wake of an incident in late May, the New York Post reported. Orlich allegedly snatched the wig off the head of Brooklyn singer Lizzy Ashleigh while walking along a city street at night; Ashleigh captured the aftermath on her cellphone and posted a video to TikTok, which garnered hundreds of thousands of views. In the video, Ashleigh yells at Orlich: “Sir! For what reason did you take my wig off? What makes you think that that’s OK?” Orlich refused to apologize, even with his friends encouraging him to. Ashleigh has said she plans to take legal action, but Orlich is already in trouble: His firm, Leader Berkon Colao & Silverstein LLP, has fired him,

British Columbia, said of her May 28 victory in a cheese-rolling contest in Gloucester, England: “It feels great!” That’s in spite of the fact that she woke up in the medical tent after taking a fall and hitting her head, The Guardian reported. “I remember running, then bumping my head ... I still don’t really believe it,” she said. The contest involves rolling a 7-pound wheel of cheese down the almost-vertical Coopers Hill, and Irving wasn’t the only contestant who lost their footing.

Lucky!

A piglet got a second chance at life on May 25, according to KVVU-TV. As Lars Gradel, Rebecca Zajac and her son, Colton, drove along the interstate that day near Las Vegas, they witnessed a baby pig as it was thrown from a truck. “We saw a pig fly out the side of the truck, and he tumbled about 10, 15 times down the side of the freeway,” Gradel said. They stopped to rescue the pig, who didn’t seem to be hurt. “Lucky,” as he was named, was given a new home at the All Friends Animal Sanctuary, where he’ll eventually meet fellow porcine Mister Picklesworth. “Now Lucky’s going to be wallowing in mud and rooting around in the ground and ... eating watermelon and popsicles in the summer,” said sanctuary founder Tara Pike.

Fixer-uppers

• Looking for a bargain home in Burbank, Oklahoma? “Bargain,” as in: more than 17,000 square feet for only $60,000. United Press International reported on May 30 that the former Burbank High School is on the market and listed as a single-family home. The building, constructed in 1924, features five “bedrooms,” four bathrooms and an indoor basketball court, along with an auditorium. The school closed in 1968, and conditions are pretty rough inside. “There is plenty of opportunity to make this property your own,” the listing promises.

• Meanwhile, in Fort Meade, Maryland, high school seniors listed their school building on Zillow as a graduation prank, United Press International reported. They described the 12,000-square-foot school as a “half-working jail”: “All 15 bathrooms come with sewage issues ... (and) trash-scented air freshener and water issues!” The listing was removed several hours after appearing, said Bob Mosier, spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Sources according to uexpress.com. From the editors at Andrews McMeel Syndication. See uexpress.com/contact

Delaney Irving, 19, of Vancouver Island,