Berry Delicious - The Hippo - 6/06/2024

June 6 - 12, 2024

News and culture weekly

serving Metro Southern New Hampshire Published every Thursday (1st copy free; 2nd $1).

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contributors Michelle Belliveau, Jennifer Graham, Henry Homeyer, Chelsea Kearin, Dave Long, Eric W. Saeger, Meghan Siegler, Dan Szczesny, Michael Witthaus

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on the cover

10 Berry season is nearly here — look forward to a sweet parade of locally grown berries starting with strawberries in June, and blueberries and raspberries in July. In this week’s cover story, we take a look at the coming season and offer a list of some places to pick your own. Also having a moment is lavender — and it has its own you-pick season at one area farm in July. And for seasonal treats you don’t have to pick, check out area farmers markets.

Also on the cover Find live music at area restaurants and breweries, some of which are taking the fun to patios or decks, in the Music This Week, which starts on page 30. Michael Witthaus heads to 42nd Street at the Palace Theatre (page 14). Enjoy tasty barbecue and eye-catching planes at the Aviation Museum of NH’s annual Fly-In BBQ (page 22).

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 42nd street

15 Arts roundup

InsIde/outsIde

16 colIn MochrIe

17 treAsure hunt

There’s gold in your attic.

18 kIddIe pool

Family fun events this weekend.

cAreers

20 on the job

What it’s like to be a... food

22 weekly specIAls Fly-In BBQ at the Nashua Airport; In the Kitchen; Weekly Dish; Drinks with John Fladd.

pop culture

26 revIews CDs, books and more. Amy Diaz enjoys the foolishness of Late Night with the Devil, The First Omen, Last Stop In Yuma County and most especially The Beekeeper nIte

29 bAnds, clubs, nIghtlIfe Nite Roundup, concert & comedy listings and more.

30 MusIc thIs week

Live music at your favorite bars and restaurants.

31 coMedy thIs week

Where to find laughs

34 concerts

Big-ticket shows.

34 trIvIA nIghts

Find some friendly competition. odds & ends

35 jonesIn’ crossword

35 ken ken, word roundup

36 rock n’ roll crossword

36 sudoku

37 sIgns of lIfe

37 7 lIttle words

38 news of the weIrd

BAD HOUR

Mon-Fri 4pm to 6pm Sun, Mon, Wed, Thur: 11am-10pm Fri/ Sat: 11am-Midnight

Half Off Drafts

$5 Wells

$5 Snacks

Half off Sliders w/ a drink

1015 Elm Street, Manchester, NH

NEWS & NOTES

Browntail moths

According to a press release, the New Hampshire Forest Health Bureau announced that Browntail moth caterpillar winter webs were located and removed at the Isles of Shoals off the New Hampshire coast in the first confirmed incident of the species in the Granite State in 75 years.

Browntail moth caterpillars have poisonous fine hairs that can produce skin rashes similar to poison ivy even when the exposure to them is airborne, and inhaling the hairs can also cause serious respiratory issues in some individuals, so people should not handle the caterpillars without wearing proper gloves and, if possible, a mask, according to the press release.

The species, which originated in Europe, is fuzzy with a dark brown coloration and has two conspicuous red-orange dots on the tail end. In New England, the moths’ caterpillar stage happens from August to late June, and from April through July is when the risk of exposure to the hairs is greatest, according to the press release.

Their winter webs are small, tight clumps on two or three leaves at the tip of a branch and tend to be completely enclosed in silk, formed in the fall and can be removed any time between November and mid-April; oak and apple trees are the primary hosts for browntail moth caterpillars, but winter webs can also be found in coastal shrubs like beach plum and cherry, as on the Isles of Shoals, according to the press release.

Browntail moth webs are different from the webs of the fall webworm, which are built into big nests in large areas of foliage in autumn, and they also differ from the webs of the eastern tent caterpillar, whose webs are also large but only occur in spring, according to the release.

The browntail moth was accidentally introduced to North America in the late 1800s and spread to all the states of New England, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, according to the release.

Massive federal work projects in the 1920s and 1930s, in cooperation with biocontrol research, reduced the infestation area to a small region along the Maine coast but in 2022 the browntail moth was found in more than 150,000 acres, although mostly in the southern half of the state, according to the same release. Visit nhbugs.org for more information about how to identify browntail moth caterpillars or to report any sightings.

Traditional art grant

The deadline for the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts’ Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant is Friday, June 14, according to their website.

This grant is offered to help communities preserve their cultural heritage and funds a master traditional artist to teach an experienced apprentice in one-to-one sessions for a minimum of 65 hours over six to 10 months, according to the website.

Traditional arts are passed down from one generation to

the next within communities andcan evolve as people, communities and the environment interact and transform, according to the website. The State Council on the Arts through its Heritage and Traditional Arts Program seeks to grant a master artist and apprentice team a combined total of up to $4,000 per year with the maximum request for the master artist $3,000 and the maximum request for the apprentice $1,000, according to the same website.

Any traditional artists active in any artistic or cultural expression that can demonstrate there is a community context for the tradition within New Hampshire may apply for a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant. The grant period is Saturday, Nov. 1, 2024, through Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2025. For details on eligibility, types of art included, and how to apply, visit nh.gov/nharts/ programservices/traditionalarts. html.

Clinic closures

According to a recent press release from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, since the unexpected closure of all New England Medicine and Counseling Associates locations in New Hampshire and Vermont, NEMCA patients with prescriptions for controlled medications should try to re-establish care with another medical provider.

According to the release, Emergency Departments may see an increase in patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms or requesting buprenorphine, a

CONCORD

Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center in laconia (928 White Oaks Road, prescottfarm.org) will host a workshop on “Poisonous Plants and Natural Hazards” on Saturday, June 8, at 10 a.m. Discover the healing properties of plantain, a common weed found in lawns and fields. Free for members and $25 for nonmembers to register. Visit prescottfarm.org.

Manchester Makerspace (36 Old Granite St.) invites amateur locksmiths for a fun and interactive event to learn the art of lock manipulation at Locksport for Dads on Monday, June 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 for any adult, or $55 for a father and offspring (recommended for ages 12+). See manchestermakerspace.org. The Makerspace is also hosting an open house night from 6 to 10 p.m. that night.

Go stown

Hooksett

Bedford

Amherst

Milford

Led Zeppelin tribute show Kashmir comes to the nashua Center for the Arts (201 Main St., Nashua, 800-6578774, nashuacenterforthearts.com) Saturday, June 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $29.

medication for the treatment of opioid use disorder, until they can establish with another medical provider.

The New Hampshire locations impacted are at 120 Route 10 South in Grantham, 17 Coit View Drive in Newport, 376 S. Willow St. in Manchester, and 40 Winter St. in Rochester

In a statement, DHHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jonathan Ballard said that “when patients who have been treated with medications like buprenorphine suddenly lose access to their

medication, they are at increased risk of an opioid overdose and may have significant withdrawal symptoms if care is not reestablished quickly.”

The opioid overdose reversal agent naloxone can be obtained through all New Hampshire Doorway locations (thedoorway. nh.gov) or over the counter at pharmacies across the state.

Patients of New England Medicine and Counseling who need assistance with finding a new medical provider can reach out to 211 in New Hampshire.

NASHUA

MANCHESTER

NASHUA

Londonderry

Derry Merrimack

Granite State stories

Elizabeth Dubrulle is the Director of Education and Public Programs at the New Hampshire Historical Society as well as the editor of their publication, Historical New Hampshire. She talked about the importance of New Hampshire history and its mysteries that have yet to be uncracked. Visit nhhistory.org.

What does the Historical Society do?

We have a library and archive, which is probably one of the best, if not the best, collection of material related to the state of New Hampshire and its history. We have a museum with exhibits about different aspects of New Hampshire history, and we have a collection of over 35,000 objects related to New Hampshire and its past…. We are also the Presidential Library for Franklin Pierce. We hold manuscript collections for many wellknown New Hampshire people, like David Souter and Daniel Webster. We offer field trips for kids — about 10,000 school kids a year come to the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord. … We offer the statewide social studies curriculum called “Moose on the Loose,” ... We support local historical societies and their work. We offer public programs, lectures, tours, workshops on how to do genealogy…. We do a lot of different things.

What is ‘Moose on the Loose’?

It’s an online resource and curriculum about state history, civics, geography and economics. It was created for kids, originally in grades 3 to 6, but we’re expanding it to encompass kindergarten all the way up through 8th grade. It’s a free resource and it’s an open access website. …. It has a lot of content and information but it also has all these images and videos and audio clips and activities and games and things that people can do to learn about New Hampshire history. It’s got lesson plans for educators, virtual field trips and projects…. The URL is moose.nhhistory.org.

What exactly is a presidential library?

We’re kind of the de facto presidential library. Franklin Pierce doesn’t have an official presidential library; modern presidents really have those. Essentially, we hold a huge collection of Franklin Pierce material documenting his political life, his personal life, his family life, his legal practice, all the activities he was involved in, so we have a lot of his possessions. He was a very active member here in the 19th century and he donated objects from his family like his

father’s uniform from the American Revolution. We have Franklin Pierce’s sword from the Mexican American war, we have the pen with which he signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act…. His books from his personal library... .

Do you have a favorite historical fact about the Granite State?

Since we’re coming up on the anniversary of the American Revolution, I’ll throw this one out: New Hampshire, they wrote their own state constitution in January of 1776. ... What was unique about their Constitution was that they didn’t mention any royal authority, so in a sense they were essentially the first state to declare independence six months before the rest of the colonies issued the Declaration of Independence.

Why is it important for people to learn the history of New Hampshire?

One is just there’s an awful lot to be interested in about New Hampshire and its history and to be proud of its history. It’s done a lot of great things … I also think in general people need to know history because it gives them a sense of perspective. .

What’s another fascinating or fun aspect of New Hampshire history?

One of the items we have in our collection is this thing called the Mystery Stone. It’s like an egg-shaped stone with carvings in it. It’s made out of a kind of rock that doesn’t exist in New Hampshire but it was found in New Hampshire. Nobody knows how it got here. The carvings look like they might be Native American, but they’re not, really. ... It’s an out of place object that nobody can figure out how it got here and it was found in 1872 ... We have it on display here. It’s been featured in documentaries and people come from all over the country to see the mystery stone. There are all sorts of wild theories about what it is, if it was made by aliens or if it got spewed out of a volcano somewhere else in the world and dropped here in New Hampshire or if it’s a hoax. ... The Smithsonian tried to buy it and we refused. We kept it for ourselves. There’s just all sorts of fun and quirky things that you can always find in history. —Zachary Lewis

Mystery Stone. Photo courtesy of the NH Historical Society.

C’s go for banner 18

The Big Story –Celtics in the NBA Finals: We’re at the point where pretty much everyone thought the Celtics would be: about to play in the NBA Finals. And as fate would have it the opposing Dallas Mavericks bring along Boston’s biggest sports villain of the day, Kyrie Irving, who has managed not to wreck his team for once.

At stake is the hugely important task of reclaiming their place as the most winning franchise in NBA history, something they’d been from the 1960s until 2020, when the Lakers tied them at 17 titles. Thus, winning number 18 would be the most significant title since Bird and company downed the Magic Johnson-, Kareem Jabbar-led Lakers in 1984.

To do that they’ll have to play better than they have so far, as despite being 12-2 in the playoffs they have yet to play their first startto-finish solid game together. However, if they can hit on all cylinders, beating them is a tall order. Time will tell if that happens.

In the meantime it should be fun.

Sports 101: Name the only brother combination to ever play in a Super Bowl and the NBA Finals.

News Item – 5 Thoughts On Celtics-Mavs Series:

Tight Games Favor Dallas: First because Joe Mazzulla’s simplistic end-of-the-game strategy generally is isolating Jayson Tatum one on one, where he invariably wastes too much time and winds up taking a terrible shot, a Kobe-wannabe step-back 20-foot fall-away. Plus Luka Doncic is the best endof-the-game shooter/scorer in the world. If he has the last shot Celts are in trouble.

Attack Kyrie Irving On D: He can’t cover my grandmother and the C’s need to make him pay for that from the first second of Game 1.

C’s Need Something from their Bench: Especially Sam Hauser, who’s been awful in the playoffs. Ditto for Payton Pritchard, who’s had some big moments but needs to be more consistent with his three-ball game.

Derek Lively is Mavs X Factor: Yes, I know he doesn’t start, Daniel Gafford does. But he’s still the best rookie center in the Finals since Alvin Adams in 1976. He hurt the Clippers, Oak City and Minnesota until he got hurt (when he was 16 for 16 in the series). The Celtics need to beware of him. Time for Tatum and Brown: They’re no longer kids learning on the job. So no excuses. Time to show if they belong with great

Celtics like Russell, Havlicek, Bird and Garnett

Prediction: If they do, Celtics win in six. If not, fans will be screaming to trade one or both.

The Numbers: 13 & 16 – wins and losses for the Red Sox in their first 29 games at Fenway Park in what once was a great home field advantage. 142 – personal winning streak for the late Bill Walton, who died of cancer last week at 71. Dates back to his last two years in high school, his year on the freshman team at UCLA and his first 88 varsity games as a Bruin.

Random Thoughts:

I’m all for recognizing the great achievements of players in the Negro League. But commingling their stats with the major league baseball’s record book as announced by MLB last week is, well, dumb for a very simple reason. None of those players played in the major leagues. So putting Josh Gibson’s .372 lifetime average ahead of Ty Cobb’s .367 as the best ever average is like combining Pete Maravich’s phenomenal college scoring records with those of the NBA. The numbers were accumulated in different ways in different leagues. That doesn’t make sense to me.

Sports 101 Answer: The Walton brothers of San Diego, California, are the only brothers to play in a SB and NBA Finals. Bruce as an OL with Dallas in 1976 and Bill with Portland in 1977 and the Celtics 1986. Both played their college ball at UCLA.

Final Thought – Bill Walton: Certain people hit you a little more when they die. The Redhead was one of those people for me.

He was my favorite college player when I came of age as a young basketball player. Then there was his sheer fundamental artistry — he was always on his toes, never brought his arms or the ball down below his shoulders and was as “team first” as anyone I’ve seen. Third was he was a UCLA guy and I loved the Bruins during their dynasty years. Finally there was the 21 for 22 from the floor 44-point masterpiece to beat Memphis State in the 1973 NCAA Final, which was the best I ever saw anyone play.

Like Sandy Koufax, Gale Sayers and Bobby Orr his brilliance was snuffed out long before it should have been thanks to chronic foot injuries. But even with that it was a great ride. So thanks for the memories, big fella.

RIP. Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress. com.

nutritious nibbles

The tastes of summer come alive in this refreshing beverage that’s perfect for breakfast, on the go or sitting in the sun with friends. The healthy fats and protein will keep you satisfied for hours of fun in the sun!

Just Peachy Blueberry Smoothie

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 cup Glaceau Smartwater® Strawberry Blackberry

2 (5.3 oz.) containers Chobani® Zero Sugar Nonfat Yogurt Blueberry

1 Tbsp. Nature’s Promise® Creamy Almond Butter

1 cup Hannaford Frozen Blueberries

1 1/2 cups Hannaford Frozen Sliced Peaches

1 lime (zest from half of lime and juice from whole lime) Dash of McCormick® Ground Ginger

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Dietitian’s Tips

1. If using fresh blueberries and peaches, add a handful of ice before blending.

2. This delicious, hydrating beverage is a good source of fiber and antioxidants.

3. Omit almond butter for a nut-free smoothie.

Nutritional Information: (Amount per serving)

Amount per serving: Calories 100; Total Fat 2.5 g; Saturated Fat 0 g; Cholesterol 5 mg; Sodium 30 mg; Carbohydrate 15 g; Dietary Fiber 3 g; Sugar 8 g; Added Sugar 0 g; Protein 7 g

quali T y O f lif E i N d E x

NH residents spend less on vacations

According to an online story in the Boston Globe on May 30, New Hampshire residents spend less on vacations than residents of other New England states. Citing a recent study by a Canadian online casino, the story reported that New Englanders budget between $1,900 and $2,600 for a holiday away. But not us. As the Globe story stated, “Granite State residents are the thriftiest, with an annual vacation budget of just $450.”

QOL score: -1, because ...

Comment: According to the same article, we also take fewer vacations, with people in New Hampshire and Maine only taking one vacation per year, compared to two vacations for residents of other New England residents.

But our trees get around

There is a newly planted tree at Barnstead Elementary School that has gone around the moon. According to a May 25 online story from WMUR, a recently planted American Sycamore tree was grown from a seed that traveled aboard NASA’s Artemis 1 space mission. WMUR reports that “on that mission, the seeds traveled more than 275,000 miles and orbited the moon.” Fourth-grade teacher Brittany Sylvian’s application was chosen from more than 2,000 by NASA to adopt a tree grown from one of the Artemis mission’s seeds.

QOL score: +1

Comment: According to WMUR, it is currently the only “moon tree” in New Hampshire.

The secret was popcorn

Merrimack Fire Rescue and police responded to a call last week in the most adorable rescue of the week. According to a Nashua InkLink story from May 28, the rescue team responded to a report of several ducklings caught in a storm drain. The story reported that crews first “used buckets to try to scoop the duckling from the murky water in the drain,” but that ultimately the baby ducks were lured in with popcorn from the nearby Apple Cinemas.

QOL score: +1

Comment: The ducklings were returned to their mother after the hourlong rescue.

a soldier comes home

Northwood Army Sgt. Richard G. Hammond, who was killed in the Second World War, was finally returned to New Hampshire to be laid to rest last week, WMUR reported on May 23. According to the story, Sgt. Hammond “was 24 when he went missing in action on Feb. 17, 1943, after being struck by an enemy tank shell during a battle with German forces near Sbeitla, Tunisia. Officials said the explosion threw Hammond several yards from the blast site.” His remains were exhumed from a U.S. military cemetery in Algeria last September, after they were identified by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

QOL score: +1

Comment: Hammond was reinterred in Northwood Ridge Cemetery.

Last week’s QOL score: 69

Net change: +2

QOL this week: 71

What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.

This Week

friday, June 7

Classic ’80s hair band

Stryper will perform at the Tupelo Music Hall (10 A St. in Derry, 437-5100, tupelohall.com) as part of their To Hell With the Amps unplugged tour. They will take the stage at 8 p.m. and tickets start at $47.

Thursday, June 6

On the first Thursday of every month, the Rockingham Brewing Co. (1 Corporate Park Drive, Unit 1, Derry, 216-2324, rockinghambrewing.com) provides Ales and Alterations — Do you have a pile of clothes that are in need of a small repair or alteration? The pub will provide repair and alterations on the spot. Bring in an item, then sip a pint while you wait. Patches are available for purchase and can also be sewn on while you wait.

Thursday, June 6

Pipe Dream Brewing (49 Harvey Road, Unit 4, Londonderry, 404-0751, pipedreambrewingnh.com) will host an evening of Sip and Script from 6 to 7:30 p.m., a workshop to introduce participants to modern calligraphy with a pointed dip pen and ink. This class includes 1 1/2 hours of instruction and a beginner’s calligraphy kit. Tickets are $65.

Big EvEnts JunE 6 and BEyond

friday, June 7

The theme of tonight’s First Friday, which runs from 4 to 8 p.m in downtown Concord, is Beach Party. Expect food trucks, live music, a live dance party with a limbo contest, volleyball on the Statehouse lawn, a wine tasting and much more. See intownconcord.org.

Saturday, June 8

There will be a public auction of 15 surplus City-owned properties at JFK Coliseum (303 Beech St. in Manchester, 624-6444) this morning at 10 a.m. The City of Manchester has identified 20 lots across 15 sites that are surplus to its needs. Of the 15 vacant lots, 12 were acquired by Tax Collector’s Deed. For more information, visit jsjauctions.com.

Saturday, June 8

Symphony NH will perform a concert of the Music of John

Williams - Star Wars and More at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S Main St., Concord, 2251111, ccanh.com) tonight at 7:30 p.m. The music of John Williams will include scores from Star Wars to Superman to Indiana Jones to Harry Potter and more. A pre-concert talk about the pieces performed will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $20.75.

Monday, June 10

The Perimeter Jazz Ensemble, an 18-piece big band under the direction of Peter Hazzard, is set to make its debut perfor-

mance at the Manchester Community Music School (2291 Elm St., Manchester, 644-4548, mcmusicschool.org) auditorium at 7 p.m.. Tickets are $5; children age 12 and under are free.

Save the date! Manchester Pride Parade, Saturday, June 15 Manchester’s Pride Week will start on Saturday, June 15, with a Pride Parade and Festival. The parade will begin at 11:15 a.m. and proceed down Elm Street to Veterans Park, where the Festival will take place from noon to 6 p.m. There will be live entertainment, food trucks, local vendors and artists, and more. See the complete line-up of events at manchestertrue.org.

BerryDelicious

Berries! Almost time for strawberry and blueberry seasons

By Zachary Lewis zlewis@hippopress.com

‘Tis the season where farms invite ordinary people to come onto their land to take part in the berry harvests.

Although last summer may have been a slight disappointment for berry aficionados, this year’s harvest is appearing to be much better.

Samantha Fay, Farm Stand Manager at Sunnycrest Farm (59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com), is positive about this year’s crop of berries.

“Everything seems to be going really well this year. Last year was pretty devastating due to the late frost that we had … strawberries last year with the rain was really bad,” Fay said.

It was the worst of yields but now it’s the best of yields in this tale of two berry seasons.

“This year, everything looks good. We haven’t had a frost and we haven’t had the really really cold temperatures, so all the crops thus far look really good,” Fay said.

Future pickers should keep an eye on the weather.

“As long as we don’t get too much rain, the strawberries should look great,” Fay said.

lavender fields forever

2024’s hot flavor gets its own harvest season

By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com

Get acquainted with lavender by starting at the source — a field where it’s grown.

“We have generations that come here together, and it’s really a lovely sight,” said Missy Biagiottie, owner of Lavender Fields (393 Pumpkin Hill Road, Warner, 456-2443, pumpkinblossomfarm.com), a farm where families can pick their own lavender. “You see mothers, grandmothers and granddaughters all picking together. It’s a really nice experience.”

If you’re imagining groups of women in sundresses and straw hats, Biagiottie said, that’s pretty much what she sees. “Our target market is women. I’d say 95 percent of the people who visit us are women. It’s a nice, family, low-key event. It’s meant to be serene.”

Lavender is a perennial plant — meaning that it continues to grow, season after season — but requires year-round maintenance to be at its peak for a two- to three-week harvesting season in mid-July. This year, Biagiotti estimated her farms will be open for “U-Pick” customers between July 5 and July 21. When the farm’s staff harvests lavender, they use old-fashioned sickles, bundle the stalks, and hang them to dry in the farm’s barn to dry until it is needed.

“Of course, we give our U-Pickers nice little garden snips,” she said, “and give them

instruction on how to cut the lavender so it might generate another bloom later in the season.”

She said most customers are not looking to take a lot of lavender home with them.

“They’re usually looking for a perfect stem,” Biagiotti said. They take it home and make lavender lemonade or lavender cookies. They might use it decoratively or for craft purposes. Most people will take it home for a memory and hang it up to dry like another herb. The scent lasts for a very long time, she said.

Biagiotti and her team harvest the rest of the lavender to distill into lavender hydrosol — a lavender-infused water — and lavender oil, both of which they use as a base for lavender products that they sell at the farm and online. They sell bath and body products but also lavender food products and cooking ingredients, such as lavender simple syrup, lavender honey, lavender-infused vinegar and oil, white hot chocolate with lavender, a blueberry lavender drink mixer and culinary lavender buds.

Inspired to cook with your lavender?

According to pastry chef Emilee Viaud, owner of Sweet Treats by Emilee and pastry chef for Greenleaf Restaurant in Milford, lavender is not an ingredient you can throw into a recipe on a whim; it needs a bit of planning.

“With lavender, it’s not really enjoyable to eat in itself,” she said. “In pastry, infusing it

“Right now, fingers crossed, everything looks great.”

Not all berries grow the same way, though, and depending on foraging style, certain berries may be more fun to pick than others.

“Your strawberries are really low to the ground, so you’re more down on your knees harvesting them, where[as] raspberries, they’re a higher bush, so people can walk through those and pick at their height, which is nice,” Fay said. Since Sunnycrest only has a few rows of blackberries, visitors will only be able to pick these up at the farmstand when they do ripen.

The schedule typically flows from strawberries to blueberries and cherries to raspberries, then peaches and finally apples. A family could pick berries all summer long at the many farms and farm stands in the state.

“I think that it’s a really nice family activity for people to do and it’s really important for people to be able to have access to fresh fruit,” Fay said. “It’s nice to be able to harvest your own fruit and bring that home, because you have the satisfaction of seeing where it grows and being able to take it home and have it yourself.” But how much of the tasty reward

Continued on pg 12

into pastry cream is what I like to do, because the floral soapiness complements the creaminess of the pastry cream really well. They kind of balance each other out.”

Viaud said lavender often works best as a supporting flavor.

“Lemon and lavender work well together. The spices I like to add to that is cardamom or fennel. With fennel seed, you can grind it up and infuse it into the pastry cream, and when you strain it, you’ll remove all those extra components you don’t really want to eat,” Viaud said.

“My husband [chef Chris Viaud] uses it in one of his cocktails,” she said. “He infuses it into a simple syrup and uses it that way.”

He is not the only one to do that. For the past several years, as bartenders have experimented with more and more nontraditional flavors for

lavender!

Lavender to pick

Lavender Fields at Pumpkin Blossom Farm 393 Pumpkin Hill Road, Warner 456-2443, pumpkinblossomfarm.com

Tentative dates for picking lavender are Friday, July 5, through Sunday, July 21, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Lavender to taste Sweet Treats by Emilee facebook.com/EmileesSweetTreats

cocktails, lavender has become a go-to flavor to play off more orthodox ingredients.

“We do a couple of lavender drinks,” said Niko Kfoury, bartender at Firefly Restaurant in Manchester. “Under the Favorites section of our cocktail menu, we’ve got a lavender-blueberry lemonade. We’ve got a lavender gin gimlet as well. The Favorites never change; those are always on the menu. I think it [lavender] has a floral quality. It’s just a really calming, soothing flavor that’s really complementary with a lot of different ingredients. It adds a calmness to a flavor profile.”

Greenleaf 54 Nashua St., Milford 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com

Open Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m.

Firefly Bistro and Bar 22 Concord St., Manchester 935-9740, fireflynh.com

Open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m; Saturday and Sunday brunch 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday dinner 4 to 9 p.m.; Sunday dinner 4 to 8 p.m.

Market season

Farmers markets build customer loyalty

By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com

Selling at a farmers market, meeting your customers one-on-one, letting them try your product and answering their questions is a way for farmers, craftspeople and other makers to build customer loyalty and wordof-mouth marketing.

Becca and Mindy Dean, for instance, have a passion for goat milk, and their farm, Galomime Farm Too in Mont Vernon, sells its goat products at the Bedford Farmers Market on Tuesday afternoons.

Co-owner Becca Dean said that working at a farmers market gives them the opportunity to introduce goat milk products to customers who wouldn’t normally look for them.

“We have a unique product and it may not be for everyone, but everyone who has tried our product seems to love it!” Dean said. She has noticed that the sorts of customers who shop at farmers markets seem to be open to

find a farmers market

Here are some of the area markets. If you know of a great local farmers market not listed here, let us know at food@hippopress.com.

Tuesday

• Bedford Farmers Market

Murphy’s Taproom, 323 Route 101, Bedford Tuesdays 3 to 6 p.m. through Oct. 15 bedfordnhfarmersmarket.org.

• Raymond Farmers Market 64 Freetown Road, Raymond Tuesdays 3 to 6:30 p.m. through September

• Tilton Farmers’ Market 45 Sanborn Road (next to Tilton Police), Tilton Tuesdays 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. through October facebook.com/tiltonfarmersmarketnh

Wednesday

new experiences.

“One [customer] stated that he and his family plan dinners for the week based on what they get at the market,” she said

Although some New Hampshire farmers markets open in May, most wait to open until June, when the weather is more reliable and some fresh produce is ready to pick and sell.

John Blake of DJ Honey, who also sells at the Bedford market, said business will pick up significantly with the end of the school year.

“The beginning of the season seems to be normal,” he said. “We did start a few weeks earlier than usual [this year]. When school gets out the market will be in full swing. I see the rest of the season being a good one.”

If you shop at a farmers market, you will notice that many vendors there sell a variety of goods other than fruits and vegetables.

Donna Silva of Lone Willow Farms in Mont Vernon sells her farm’s products in Milford and Bedford but limits her food sales to Milford.

Farmers Market 9 Center Road

• Kingston Seacoast Growers Association intersection of Church and Main streets

Wednesdays 2:15 to 6 p.m through October, rain or shine seacoastgrowers.org

• Derry Homegrown Farm & Artisan Market next to Derry Feed and Supply, 1 West Broadway

Wednesdays 3 to 7 p.m. through September

Events include live music and art demonstrations. derryhomegrown.org

• Lee Cooperative Farmers Market

Little River Park fourth Wednesday of every month 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. through September Find them on Facebook.

• Canterbury Community

Wednesdays 4 to 6:30 p.m. through September canterburyfarmersmarket.com.

Thursday

• Mast Road Community Market

Jacques Flower Shop and Garden Center, 712 Mast Road, Pinardville area of Goffstown second and fourth Thursdays 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. through September Find them on Facebook.

• Loudon Farmers’ Market 7039 School St. Thursdays 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. through October

Markets will feature live music. facebook.com/loudonfarmersmarketnh

Friday

• Francestown Community Market

“This is my first year at the Bedford Farmers Market,” she said. “I don’t sell food products there because they have enough farm-to-table vendors. … This will be my fourth year at the Milford Farmers Market, where I do sell my awesome veggies, produce, herbs and edible flowers. At both markets I sell flowers and gifts [or] art I make from my flowers.”

According to Joshua Marshall, the Director of the New Hampshire Department of Agriculture’s Division of Agricultural Development, numbers and statistics for New Hampshire’s farmers markets can be elusive.

“New Hampshire has a pretty vibrant farmers market industry and the interesting thing is we don’t have any sort of centralized registration that they [farmers markets] are required to do, so it’s hard to get a big picture of how many are out there,” he said. The Agriculture Department keeps a voluntary publication on its website where farmers markets can publish their events, but submit-

Francestown Horse Sheds at Town Hall

Fridays 4 to 6:30 p.m. through October, rain or shine. facebook.com/francestowncommunitymarket

Saturday

• Concord Farmers Market Capitol Street Saturdays 8:30 a.m. to noon through October concordfarmersmarket.com

• Candia Farmers Market Smyth Library Grounds (55 High St.)

third Saturday of the month 9 a.m. to noon through October candiafarmersmarket.org

• Warner Area Farmers Market Warner Town Hall Lawn Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October warnerfarmersmarket.org

• Contoocook Farmers Market Contoocook gazebo

ting information to it isn’t mandatory.

“Between the summer and winter markets, we have just over 40,” Marshall said. “That is a little bit down over previous years, which has been closer to 50, but I know that there are a lot more out there.”

Marketeers

Galomime Farm Too 60 Old Amherst Road, Mont Vernon facebook.com/GalomimeFarmToo

Sells at Bedford Farmers Market

DJ’s Pure Honey

facebook.com/djspurehoney

Sells at Bedford Farmers Market and Nashua Farmers Market

Lone Willow Farms

70 Tater St., Mont Vernon 731-0611, lonewillowfarms.com

Sells at Bedford Farmers Market and Milford Farmers Outdoor Market

Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon through October, rain or shine facebook. com/ContoocookFarmersMarket

• Mason Village Market 16 Darling Hill Road, Town Common, Mason second and fourth Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October Find them on Facebook.

• Milford Farmers Outdoor Market

300 Elm St. Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 14. milfordnhfarmersmarket.com

• New Boston Farmers Market

7 Meetinghouse Hill Road Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October facebook.com/NewBostonFarmersMarket

• Pelham Farmers’ Market First Congregational Church, 3 Main St., Pelham Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Oct. 19

Find them on Facebook.

• Church Street Farmers Market, Deerfield 9 Church St., Deerfield second and fourth Saturdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June through October churchstreetfarmersmarket.com

Sunday

• Nashua Farmers Market (Main Street Bridge Farmers Market) Nashua Public Library Lot, 6 Hartshorn Ave. Sundays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Oct. 22 downtownnashua.org/nashuafarmersmarket

• Salem Farmers Market The Mall at Rockingham Park (77 Rockingham Park Blvd.) between Dick’s Sporting goods and Cinemark

Sundays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. all year salemnhfarmersmarket.org

Dads love chocolate,

can one bring home? A few ounces? A couple pounds?

“Maybe like 80 pounds at once just for a regular customer that comes in because we have some people come in that like to jam, so they’ll buy a good amount for jamming,” Fay said. “I’d say like 80 to 100 pounds for some people. But it’s not like an everyday thing…. That’s their one pick for the season when they make their batch of jam.” Ten to 20 pounds is a more typical amount for people to acquire in a single visit.

The delicate dance of berry harvesting is not for the faint of heart, but it is worth the effort. “They’re definitely a difficult crop to grow.

Where to pick your own berries

Here’s a list of local farms that plan to offer fresh berries for pick-your-own throughout this upcoming season — we’ve included those that will have everything from strawberries and blueberries available for picking to raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and even peaches at some locations. Do you know of any in our area that we may have missed? Tell us about it at food@hippopress.com.

Apple Hill Farm

Brookdale Fruit Farm

They take a lot of care and the weather definitely plays a huge factor because they don’t like too much rain. It’s very rewarding when you get a great crop but it does take a lot to grow them. And we enjoy it,” Fay said.

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

580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com

What: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, black currants, apples

When: Projected opening date is around mid to late June, starting with pick-your-own strawberries, then blueberries from early July to early September, raspberries from mid-July to early August, black currants from late July to early August, and apples from late August to mid October, according to their website.

Applecrest Farm Orchards 133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 926-3721, applecrest.com

What: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, nectarines, pears

When: The farm stand is open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; projected opening date TBA for pick-yourown strawberries will be around mid-June; followed by blueberries in early July and raspberries in mid-August; peaches, nectarines and pears early August through mid September, according to their website.

Bartlett’s Blueberry Farm 648 Bradford Road, Newport, 208-270-0466, bartlettsblueberryfarm.com

What: blueberries

When: Hours of operation are

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the picking season is from mid-July to August; the self-service farm stand is open now from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. daily, or by appointment, offering items like blueberry jam, local maple syrup and honey, according to their website.

Bascom Road Blueberry Farm

371 Bascom Road, Newport, 359-7703, bascomroadblueberryfarm.com

What: strawberries and blueberries

Expected hours: The farm store is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The farm is offering pickyour-own strawberries for limited days in June to early July. Pick-your-own blueberries are expected to happen from July through September, according to their website. 2023 pricing, according to their website, was $12 for a small bucket, around 3 pounds, or $22 for a large bucket, which was around 6 pounds.

Beaver Pond Farm

1047 John Stark Hwy., Newport, 543-1107, beaverpondfarm.com

What: blueberries and raspberries

When: Daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting, call on the day for conditions. Their season usually begins between July 1 and July 10 and typically runs

through July and into early August, according to their website. They charge by the pint, not the pound, and offer free containers as well as water to pickers, according to the website.

Berry Good Farm

234 Parker Road, Goffstown, berrygoodfarmnh.com

What: blueberries

When: Anticipated to be open Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. as well as Friday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Their pick-your-own blueberries will likely start around mid-July, according to their website.

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 last year’s dates. Last year’s prices were $3.50 per pound (seniors 65 and older and military $3.40 per pound), and if participants pick 10 or more pounds the price will be $3.25 per pound, according to their website.

Brookdale Fruit Farm

41 Broad St., Hollis, 465-2240, brookdalefruitfarm.com

What: strawberries, blueberries,

raspberries, black 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 and black raspberries into August, according to their website.

Carter Hill Orchard

73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, 225-2625, carterhillapples.com

What: blueberries

When: Pick-your-own blueberries will likely start sometime in July, according to their website.

Devriendt Farm Products

178 S. Mast St., Goffstown, 4972793, devriendtfarm.com

What: strawberries

When: Pick-your-own strawberries expected around the second or third week of June and they will have Pick Your Own boxes at a cost of $1 for you to pick into if you do not bring your own container, according to their website.

Elwood Orchards

54 Elwood Road, Londonderry, 434-6017, elwoodorchards.com

What: cherries

When: TBA; pick-your-own cherries are expected to be available around early July.

Gould Hill Farm

656 Gould Hill Farm, Contoocook, 746-3811, gouldhillfarm.

com

What: Blueberries, peaches

When: Farm stand is closed until mid-July. Pick-your-own blueberries will likely start around mid-July and will run into early August; peaches typically start in early August and run to early September, with peaches available in the store from late July to early September, according to their website.

Grandpa’s Farm

143 Clough Hill Road, Loudon, 783-5690, grandpasfarmnh.com

What: blueberries

When: Daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

They offer blueberries from the middle of July to the middle of August and their new Lower Field has three varieties, Duke, Spartan and Bluecrop, which will ripen in that order, according to their website.

Grounding Stone Farm

289 Maple St., Contoocook, 746-1064, groundingstonefarm.

com

What: blueberries, Certified Organic by the NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food, according to their website When: Open July 6 through the

third week of August.

Hackleboro Orchards

61 Orchard Road, Canterbury, 783-4248, hackleboroorchard.

com

What: blueberries

When: Daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; pick-your-own blueberries are expected between mid-June and late August, and will be $3.29 per pound, according to their website.

Kimball Fruit Farm

Route 122, on the Hollis and Pepperell, Mass., border, 978433-9751, kimball.farm

What: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries

When: Pick-your-own strawberries are projected for the middle of June, blueberries from July to early August (best picking usually mid-July), raspberries from July to early October, and blackberries from August to early October. The farm stand is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to their website.

Lavoie’s Farm

172 Nartoff Road, Hollis, 8820072, lavoiesfarm.wordpress.

com

What: strawberries and blueberries

When: Their hours vary by season but they are normally open June 1 until Oct. 31, according to their website.

McKenzie’s Farm

71 Northeast Pond Road, Milton, 652-9400, mckenziesfarm.

com

What: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and peaches

When: Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; strawberries are expected to be ready by the middle of June, followed by raspberries around July 4 and blueberries also in early July, with peaches available in August, according to their website.

Norland Berries

164 N. Barnstead Road, Center Barnstead, 776-2021, norlandberries.com

What: blueberries

When: Berries will likely be available by early to mid-July, according to last year’s dates.

Saltbox Farm

321 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham, 436-7978, saltboxfarmnh.com

What: blueberries

When: The farm stand is open only during seasonal hours during their berry picking season and typically runs from early July to early September, according to their Facebook page.

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 their website. Raspberries are expected to be ready for picking around the second week of July, followed by blueberries in mid-July. If their supply allows, one night each year they stay open late for twilight picking with special discounts, according to the same website.

Spring Ledge Farm

37 Main St., New London, 5266253, springledgefarm.com

What: strawberries

When: Pick-your-own strawberries expected in June, and their picking field address is 985 Pleasant St. in New London, according to their website.

Sunnycrest Farm

59 High Range Road, Londonderry, 432-7753, sunnycrestfarmnh.com

What: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries and peaches

When: 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily for pick-your-own strawberries beginning in June, with cherries starting around June 15, followed by blueberries and raspberries around the start of July and peaches in August if supplies allow, according to their website.

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.

a RT S in the money Palace season finale 42nd Street shines

By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com

The final musical in the Palace Theatre’s 2023-2024 season is far and away its best. From the tap-tastic overture that begins the show, with the curtain rising just enough to reveal 20 pairs of legs in full dance, to the triumphant ending number that gives it a title, 42nd Street is a gem, packed with dazzling dancing, classy choreography and standout stars.

The show about show business won a Best Musical Tony when it debuted in 1980. Set in the Depression era, it follows rehearsals for Pretty Lady, a fictitious production that holds a few fortunes in its hands, including director Julian Morse (Dan Fenaughty), a Broadway legend looking to reverse his latest losing streak, and Peggy Sawyer (Jenna Bienvenue), fresh off the bus from Allentown with hopes of a spot in the chorus line. Dorothy Brock is Pretty Lady’s star, due to a financial marriage of convenience. Her goofy but rich boyfriend financed the show on the condition that she be the leading lady, though she can’t dance and is past her prime. Larissa Klinger plays the role with nuance and grace; her performance is an understated gem.

42nd Street

When: Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through June 23

Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester Tickets: $28 to $49 at palacetheatre.org

Early on, different cast members offer scene-stealing turns — Megan Quinn as Maggie Jones, the brassy co-writer of Pretty Lady, and Ashton Lambert, playing high stepping tenor Billy Lawlor as the kind of person who treats a trip to the store as an audition — his over the top efforts to charm Peggy produced repeated out loud laughs from the audience.

Ultimately, however, 42nd Street’s lead actors carry the day, with Fenaughty commanding in a role originally played by Jerry Orbach. The cynical stage titan softens on the way to singing “Lullaby of Broadway” to remind Peggy of why she should hold on to her dreams. For her part, Bienvenue perfectly portrays her ingenue’s transformation from a chaos agent who can turn dance practice into a bowling alley in an earthquake, to finding her inner star.

Also, high marks are due to director and choreographer Carl Rajotte, for rising to the challenge of a production that has dancing in almost every scene. In particular, “Shadow Waltz” and its use of the Palace’s multimedia screen system was breathtaking. Closing extravaganzas in both acts are also stellar, all a reminder that technical investment in the theater is paying off handsomely.

With classic songs like “We’re In the Money” and “I Only Have Eyes For You” along with the infectious numbers “Go Into Your Dance” and “Dames,” it’s understandable that 42nd Street was the first film musical adapted for Broadway to succeed; it’s been produced hundreds if not thousands of times since.

It’s also director Rajotte’s favorite, for

ART AWARDS

Four artists received recognition at the juried summer members exhibition presented by Two Villages Art Society at the May 25 opening reception at the gallery (846 Main St., Contoocook). The winners include: Best in Show, Ann Saunderson of Loudon, for “The Artist and her Critic,” acrylic; Artist of Merit, David Carroll of Warner, for “Page from my Russian Notebook # 10,” mixed media collage; Gail Smuda of Concord for “Elizabeth Gurley Flynn,” book art; Sharon Boisvert of Weare for “Snow Day,” soft pastel. The show was juried by Inez McDermott, professor emerita of art history at New England College and independent curator, who in a statement said that “the works I chose reveal an expertise with, and sensitivity to, their chosen medium; they reveal a strong sense of design and composition; and they present subject matter and a point of view that is clearly conveyed and enhanced through those compositional and media choices.”

“Communities Gather: Summer Members Show” features the work of more than 50 TVAS member artists and is on display through Saturday, June 22, according to the release. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Visit twovillagesart.com. Featured: The Artist and her Critic by Ann Saunderson. Courtesy image.

both its entertainment value and sentimental reasons.

“This is my fifth time doing 42nd Street,” he said during rehearsals. “I love Golden Age shows, but they tend to be a little out of date or sometimes the flow of the show is a little bit slower. This one was written in 1980 so it has that fast pacing, but with that charming Golden Age feel … it’s the best of both worlds.”

It’s also the show that brought Rajotte to Manchester. Twenty-five years ago, his father moved here after his mother had passed. One day he called his son, an actor in New York City, and told him about a professional theater company in his new home town. “I said, no, I would have heard of it,”

art

Exhibits

• “I LIVE A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND YEARS,” featuring about 20 works by Raphaël Barontini, will be on display through Sunday, June 23, at the Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org).

• “ONCE IN A MOMENT” at Sullivan Framing and Fine Art Gallery (15 N. Amherst Road in Bedford). The exhibit highlights the work of Peter Noonan, an award-winning illustrator, fine artist and cartoonist. Visit sullivanframing.com.

Theater

Shows

• INTO THE BREECHES! by George Brant, produced by Lend Me a Theater (lendmeatheater. org) runs through June 9, with

Rajotte recalled.

In a wonderful bit of kismet, just a couple of days later Rajotte picked up a copy of Backstage, a newspaper for actors, and saw an announcement for auditions in New York for a production of 42nd Street at the Palace. He answered the call and was cast as Pretty Lady choreographer Andy Lee. After that, he left on tour with another show.

“I figured I probably won’t be back again, but then Peter Ramsey called me while I was on tour and said, ‘Hey, how about you come back and choreograph and direct for us?’ I did a couple of shows, and then took the job full-time. This was really the intro, this show. So it’s dear to my heart.”

shows Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Tickets $25 for adults, $22 for students/seniors/members, $19 senior members.

• 42ND STREET runs through Sunday, June 23, at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St., Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 6685588) with shows Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $28 to $49.

• PARADISE NOW! presented by Theatre Kapow at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 9, at 2 p.m. See tkapow.com.

• WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S LONG LOST FIRST PLAY (ABRIDGED) presented by Cue Zero Theatre

Company at the Arts Academy of New Hampshire (19 Keewaydin Drive, Salem, onthestage. tickets/cue-zero-theatre-company) on Friday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 23, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15.

Classical

• THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS IN CONCERT featuring music from the movies of Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and more as performed by the Symphony NH on Saturday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) and Sunday, June 9, at 3 p.m. at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St. in Nashua). See symphonynh.org.

Jenna Bienvenue, Dan Fenaughty, and Sebastian Goldberg (as Andy Lee) in 42nd Street. Photo by Michael Witthaus.

• Music outdoors: Concerts on the Common is put on by the Londonderry Council of the Arts at the Town Common (265 Mammoth Road, Londonderry) on Wednesday evenings in the summer from 7 to 8:30 p.m., totaling 11 free and family-friendly performances that will run until Wednesday, Aug. 14. On Wednesday, June 12, Jessica Lynn will perform. In case of rain the show will be held at Matthew Thornton Gym. Visit londonderryartscouncil.org.

• More music outdoors: The 13-week Tuesday night Henniker Summer Music Series starts off with a local six-piece acoustic Americana band featuring strings and shared vocal harmonies called Peabody’s Coal Train on Tuesday, June 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Angela Robinson Bandstand in the Community Park, according to a press release. The show is free but donations are welcome. In case of rain, the concert will be held inside the adjacent Community Center. Food can be acquired at the venue or can be brought in for picnics. The series, featuring new acts each week, will run until Tuesday, Sept. 3. Visit Facebook.com/HennikerConcert.

• Art outdoors: The Concord Arts Market, an outdoor artisan and fine art market, will run one Saturday a month from June through October, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rollins Park (33 Bow St., Concord). Market dates are June 8, July 13, Aug. 10 and Sept. 14. Visit concordartsmarket.net.

• On stage: Paradise Now! will be presented by Theatre Kapow at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord, ccanh. com) on Friday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m., Satur-

day, June 8, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 9, at 2 p.m. A group of women join a pyramid selling scheme promoting a range of essential oils in this U.S. premiere of the funny new play by Margaret Perry about ambition, exploitation and the search for connection in a fractured world, according to their website.See tkapow.com.

• The Currier Museum of Art will be holding its annual Member Appreciation Week from Wednesday, June 12, through Sunday, June 16, which includes private tours, special discounts, giveaways, an extensive raffle and more, according to their website. Starting from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 12, there will be a members-only art-making activity in the Green Studio to get creative energy moving for all skill and experience levels, and there is no fee or registration required, according to the same website. At 3 p.m. there will be an exhibition tour with Chief Curator Lorenzo Fusi, who will give an overview of their newest installation, Elisabeth Kley’s “Cymodocea,” in the museum’s Welcome Gallery, as well as a guided discussion of the current exhibition “Filippo de Pisis and Robert Mapplethorpe: A Distant Conversation,” according to their website. Registration is required since capacity is limited, and is just the beginning of the Currier’s Member Appreciation Week. Visit currier.org.

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

Peabody’s Coal Train will perform at Henniker Summer Music Series. Courtesy photo.

Have improv, will travel

Colin Mochrie

takes the show on the road

By Zachary Lewis zlewis@hippopress.com

Described as a hardworking and imaginative mammal in his bio on the show’s website, Colin Mochrie (Hilaritycus smoothius, as it says), known for his improv expertise on Whose Line is it Anyway? will be taking the stage in Portsmouth with Brad Sherwood, a fellow Whose Lineer at the Music Hall on Thursday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m. as part of their “Asking for Trouble” tour.

“It’s like a live version of Whose Line,” Mochrie said. “There’s a lot of games that

asking for Trouble

• Thursday, June 13, 7:30 p.m. at The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, themusichall.org

Tickets $44 to $88

• Sunday, Oct. 6, 5 p.m. at the Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester, palacetheatre.org

Tickets $49 to $75 colinandbradshow.com

would be familiar to a Whose Line fan … some games that we just made up ourselves…. We don’t have a host, we don’t have other people to work with. It’s just two hours of goofy fun.”

Audience members will have a good idea but will never know exactly which improv games to expect at the unscripted show.

“We do start off with a basic foundation but it can easily change…,” Mochrie said.

“We do a new one that’s kind of fun, just because it scares me; we do sort of a musical tribute to the town that we’re playing, so it’s going to be a musical about Portsmouth, we’re hoping.”

Mochrie and Sherwood met on the hit television show.

“It was actually his idea to go on tour,” Mochrie said of Sherwood.

Every Super Bowl Sunday, Drew Carey, the former host, would take the cast to perform in Vegas in multiple shows leading up to the big game. Sherwood popped the question during one of these marathon improv sessions.

Afterward, they gave the idea a test run,

and it worked. The tour has been running over 20 years.

“We’ve been friends, God, over 30 years now. It really helps when you’re working with someone, especially in improv, somebody you trust and you like. We both have sort of the same viewpoint on improv and what we like to do with it,” Mochrie said. Although nothing lasts forever. “So far. It could always turn, of course, because, you know, he has problems, but so far, so good.”

The Scottish-born Canadian improvisational comedian was drawn to the craft at an early age and referenced comedian Jonathan Winters and Robin Williams, as improv influences.

“I just saw this demonstration … that had been invented by this Englishman in Calgary called theater sports, and it was improv in sort of a sports setting where this referee would issue challenges and then you would improvise. I thought, ‘Oh, well this could be fun.’ It was something I enjoyed doing. I never thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be my career,’ just because there

wasn’t an outlet.”

If Mochrie isn’t producing laughs on stage with Sherwood, he most likely will be on another stage doing the same.

“I improvise with a lot of different improv groups around the country,” he said. He also does an improv tour with his wife, Debra McGrath, as well as a tour with a hypnotist called Hyprov. “The beauty of improv is you’re kind of open to everything.”

Mochrie was open to the idea of a Whose Line live tour and noted that they had shot enough so that another season with host

Continued

Modern

Aromatherapy with the Wisdom of Traditional Herbalists

Unwind with beautiful bath, body and home products from England

Colin Mochrie. Courtesy photo.

Hi, Donna,

These boat lanterns were in our camp at the lake, which was built in 1910. I’m not sure of the history, other than that my grandfather did have an old single-cylinder Laker boat in the 1920s, which the two oil lamps may have been on. Or it’s possible he obtained them from someone for possible use on his boat.

I would be very interested to know what you think their value might be. Thank you.

Larry

Dear Larry,

Your boat lights all appear to be in great condition,all the glass intact. Maritime items are always collectible. Some more than others, and values fluctuate. I found values for yours to be in the range of $100 to $200 each. Less for the electric ones. The value is priceless to find out if they were on your grandfather’s boat. Stories they could tell, right?

Thanks for sharing with us, Larry, and I hope this was helpful.

KAMP

Donna Donna Welch has spent more than 35 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing. Her new location is an Antique Art Studio located in Dunbarton, NH where she is still buying and selling. 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.

The Boys & Girls Club of Manchester offers a unique summer program, Kidz Kamp, for children entering Kindergarten in the fall of 2024, designed to gently introduce our youngest campers to summer camp!

June 17 - August 23 • Monday-Friday • 6:30am-6pm Single Week Sessions • 10 Weeks Available $200/Week • $25 Annual Membership Fee Week 3 is reduced due to 3-day week

will enjoy activities at the Union St. Clubhouse and visit Camp Foster twice a week. Staff will also plan several field trips for kampers throughout the summer.

Mast Road Community

Market

We are a Makers Market featuring Local Farmers, Home-made Goods, Local Crafts, Food & Entertainment

2nd & 4th Thursdays

June-Sept

3:30-6:30pm

June 13

Opening Day!

Free Admission • Free Parking

Live Entertainment

Fresh & Local Farm Goods

Food & Fun • Dogs Welcome

712 Mast Rd, Manchester, NH MastRdCM@gmail.com

FOLLOW US @ Mast Rd Community Market

Bugs!

Family fun for whenever

• Twiggs Gallery (254 King St., Boscawen) will be offering a free Little Ladybug Make & Take on Saturday, June 8, between 1 and 3 p.m., at which kids can learn how to make an adorable paper ladybug, according to a press release. All supplies will be provided to make this paper craft, according to the same release. The gallery is handicapped-accessible. Visit TwiggsGallery.org

• NH Audubon and Steve Mirick, an avid birder and expert butterfly enthusiast who has guided birding and butterfly communities, will lead an exploration of butterfly habitats in the capital area on Tuesday, June 11, starting at 11 a.m. A similar program on Tuesday, June 18, at 11 a.m. will be led by Mike Thomas, a retired entomologist and butterfly enthusiast. Both will be at the McLane Center (84 Silk Farm Road, Concord, nhaudubon.org). Participants will learn how to identify butterflies in various habitats. All skill levels are welcome. Space is limited and registration is required.

On stage

and 18. Kids ages 6 or 7 can audition to be baby spiders or baby Wilbur. To schedule an audition slot, contact Director Karen Braz at k.braz@comcast.net. For more information visit communityplayersofconcord.org.

library fun

• Nashua Public Library (2 Court St., Nashua) will allow kids in grades K-5 to explore simple printmaking techniques using everyday materials on Monday, June 10, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in their Activity Room. Objects include apples, leaves, Legos and more, and participants will dip, press and create their own prints on paper or fabric in this interactive art activity, although supplies are limited, according to the website. Visit nashualibrary.org.

• The Community Players of Concord with their Children’s Theatre Project will be holding auditions for Charlotte’s Web, which is based on the book by E.B. White, by appointment only on Sunday, June 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or on Monday, June 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Community Players Studio ( 435 Josiah Bartlett Road, Concord) for those between the ages of 8

Continued from pg 16

Aisha Tyler will be able to air: “It’s just a show you can’t kill, it keeps coming back.”

Mochrie is quite fond of the television show.

“I think the beauty of it was, we only shot two weekends a year so … unlike shows that go on forever and ever, we didn’t have a chance to get on each other’s nerves, so everybody still really enjoyed each other…,” he said. “We’re all good friends. We’re constantly tweeting and emailing and keeping in contact with each other. It is a good group.”

Not only has Mochrie been on both British and American versions of Whose Line is it Anyway; he’s also performed in numerous film and television roles and most recently in the film Villains Inc., which came out in April. He is also an award-winning writer ,

• The Children’s Room staff at Manchester City Library (405 Pine St., Manchester) have announced a storytime program in collaboration with the SEE Science Center where once a month kids between the ages of 2 and 6 are invited to join Ms. Yvonne and Ms. Helene from the SEE Science Center for Storytime Science, with hands-on activities afterward the story-reading, according to their website. This month’s reading will take place on Wednesday, June 12, from 10 to 11 a.m. with I Am Not A Fish by Peter Raymundo. Registration is required to ensure enough materials for everyone, according to the same website. Storytime Science is a program of the SEE Science Center’s First Steps in Science Initiative presented by Dartmouth Health Childrens, according to the same website. Call the library at 6246550, ext. 7628.

performer and producer.

“I do have fun doing scripted stuff on film and television. What I enjoy about stage more, I think, is that we are the architects of our own fate,” he said. That sense of autonomy is a driving force behind his work: “Doing improv and doing our show, we’re in charge. If the show sucks, it’s because we suck. If it went great, it’s because we were good. There’s no one else to blame and I like having that pressure.”

“I just love [that] every show is different. Every show is for that audience. No one else will ever see it again,” Mochrie said. “So it keeps it fresh for us. I think that’s part of the reason we’re still enjoying each other and the show after all this time.”

Located on the Campus of Jacques Flower Shop

FATHER’S

DAY EVENT

Sunday, June 16

Explore the farm and meet our animal dads and their adorable new babies. Enjoy a variety of games such as cornhole, horseshoes, and volleyball, plus thrilling rides and activities.

Dads accompanied by their children (12 years and under) receive FREE admission and a complimentary meal at our BBQ Party.

June 22 & 23

Calling all adventurous families! This unique event invites curious minds alike to delve into the world of cryptozoology. Embark on a guided tour through the serene woodlands of the farm. Equipped with expert guides and storytelling, you’ll learn about the legendary creature’s history and explore potential habitats.

Graham Gifford

Program & Marketing Director

Graham Gifford is the Program & Marketing Director of the New Hampshire Telephone Museum in Warner (nhtelephonemuseum.org).

Explain your job and what it entails.

Oh my goodness, I’ll try to keep it under three days. As a museum employee, there’s a ton that we have to do. Primarily I am, of course, the director of programming. I’m also the marketing director, so the day is quite filled with those things. We take in a variety of artifacts. We are a registered nonprofit, a 501(c)3. We do a tremendous amount of collaboration, so we’re doing off-site exhibits as well as new exhibits in-house. We actually do a lot of programming. We have both free and

for-charge programming, depending on if people are members of the Telephone Museum or not…. We’re not just about telephones, we’re about telecommunications and communications. We’re doing a code talker presentation … and in years past, one of the huge successes is our animal programming, whether it’s with falconry or canine. There’s always tours that have to get done and there’s walls that need to be patched and painted. I could go on for days.

How long have you had this job? I’ve been here for 12 years.

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

It was very serendipitous. I was hired to improve the marketing for the museum and it’s so fun I never left.

What kind of education or training did you need?

At the time I simply needed to know marketing. Since the I’ve had to undergo a variety of education, but I do have my master’s, so that served me well in learning.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

Something incredibly casual which includes sneakers because I am either giving a tour or I am patching a wall.

What is the most challenging thing about your work, and how do you deal with it?

Trying to juggle so many varied tasks at once can be incredibly difficult. It’s the nature of the work so you just have to keep a smile on your face and be positive. I know that sounds like such a kitschy answer but that’s the truth.

What do you wish other people knew

about your job?

That it is non-stop, continuous, 24 hours a day.

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

Work well with your teammates. They’ll make all the difference.

—Zachary Lewis

five favorites

Favorite book: anything by Ryan

Holiday

Favorite movie: Lord of the Rings

Favorite music: Hozier

Favorite food: sushi

Favorite thing about NH: There’s so much to do.

Graham Gifford. Courtesy photo.

Touching down on barbecue

Aviation Museum holds its summer get-together

By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com

News from the local food scene

By John Fladd jfladd@hippopress.com

• Martini-cupcake pairing: The monthly martini-cupcake pairing at the Copper Door (15 Leavy Drive, Bedford, 488-2677; 41 S. Broadway, Salem, copperdoor.com) for June will be Key lime themed. The Key Lime Martini — vanilla vodka, Tuaca, lime juice, and cream, with a graham cracker rim — will cost $14. The Key Lime Cupcake — a lime-zested cupcake, white chocolate cup, lime curd, cream cheese frosting, a fresh lime wheel, and a graham cracker — will cost $11.

• Chocolate cabin-making: Van Otis Chocolates (341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotis.com) will host a class to teach participants to decorate their own chocolate lake cabin, Thursday, June 6, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Guests will enjoy a tour of Van Otis’ Chocolate Factory and indulge in handmade chocolates, as well as decorating their cabins, which have been prepared ahead of time to allow participants as much time as possible for decoration. Guests are welcome to bring their own wine or Xhampagne to enjoy during this 21+ class. Tickets are $95 each, available from eventbrite.

• 21 Forever party: Celebrate your 21st birthday — regardless of what your birth certificate says — at a 21 Forever Party at Averil House Vineyard (21 Averill Road, Brookline, 244-3165, averillhousevineyard.com) Thursday, June 6, at 12:30 or 3:30 p.m. You and up to five friends will have a decorated themed birthday party with a charcuterie board, wine tasting, birthday cupcakes and a bottle of 21 Averill Road wine for the birthday

There is a phenomenon familiar to pilots called the Hundred Dollar Hamburger. Allegedly, hobbyist pilots, wanting a destination to fly to in a day or an afternoon, will pick a small, local airport a few hundred miles away, fly to it, eat at the diner or cafe there, then fly home. Ten dollars for a burger plus $90 in fuel makes for a Hundred Dollar Hamburger.

“At this point it’s more like a $150 hamburger by the time you factor in the price of fuel,” said Jeff Rapsis, the Director of the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire in Londonderry in a telephone interview. The Aviation Museum is capitalizing on the Hundred Dollar Hamburger tradition for one of its major fund-raising events of the year, its annual Father’s Day Weekend Fly-In Barbecue, which will be held Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This year’s Barbecue will be held at

When: Saturday, June 15, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Hangar of Nashua Jet Aviation at Nashua Airport, 83 Perimeter Road, Nashua

Tickets: Purchase BBQ tickets in advance to avoid a sell-out at aviationmuseumofnh.org; ramp tickets to visit planes will be for sale at the door. Adult barbecue, $30; Ages 6-12 barbecue, $10; ramp ticket (no barbecue), $10

Nashua’s Boire Field (Nashua Airport, 83 Perimeter Road). Pilots are invited to fly in, with vintage airplanes and home-built aircraft especially welcome.

“This is a good opportunity for families with children to get really close to real airplanes and check them out. We have some very unusual aircraft coming,” Rapsis said. It’s an event that pilots and enthusiasts both benefit from, he added. “The public is welcome to see a student-built plane, experience aerobatic flying via virtual reality, and enjoy some excellent barbecue.”

The barbecue itself will be prepared off-site by Celebrations Catering of Manchester and served buffet-style in the hangar of Nashua Jet Aviation, so the event will be held rain or shine. The meal includes salads, pasta, barbecued chicken, pulled pork, baked beans, desserts and drinks, including Moxie.

“This is a New England event,” Rapsis said, “so we have to serve Moxie.”

The chicken and pork are a perennial hit, said Rapsis. The chicken, for instance: “These are boneless chicken breasts that have been seasoned with a special rub, then wood-grilled. This is really special chicken.” One of the surprising but essential

elements to serving the pork is the bread at the buffet, Rapsis said. “There are some people who absolutely insist on having pulled pork on white bread; other people have other ideas. These are very strongly held beliefs.”

“We’ve been doing the food service for this event for many, many years,” said Amy Strike, the Director of Events at Celebrations Catering, “and the members really like it. Our recipes have been crafted over many years.”

A case in point is the Texas-Style Baked Beans. “For me, this is the real stand-out dish,” Rapsis said. “I’ve had some left over from a previous event and I’ve been rationing them out. They’re magical.”

This makes Amy Strike laugh, but she agrees that a lot of work has gone into developing baked beans that are more than just a side dish. “They are made with our special homemade barbecue sauce,” she said, “the one with 50 ingredients. Our chef, Don Robey, uses three different types of beans — pinto, great northern, and kidney — and we use a bacon/onion blend that was developed by our president, Fred Manchuck.”

Courtesy photos.

Kitchen

WiTH JErEmy HarT

Jeremy Hart, owner, Stash Box Restaurant in Manchester

“I started bartending in college, and just never stopped,” said Jeremy Hart, owner of Stash Box restaurant in Manchester. “That was 26 years ago, so at this point, I’ve been behind a bar for more than half my life.” Hart was the Bar Manager at The Birch on Elm starting in 2016 and left just as the Covid shutdown started, he said, and since then he and his partner Dan Haggerty have opened two restaurants: Industry East in February 2021, and Stash Box in October 2023.

What is your must-have bar item?

The one thing I can’t live without is my glass rinser. Other than looking cool, it definitely makes me more efficient.

What would you have for your last meal?

Probably a lobster roll and steamers. Is there anything more New England than that?

What is your favorite local eatery?

El Rincón for sure! I love Mexican food, and nobody does it better than them!

Who is a celebrity you would like to see drinking one of your cocktails?

Anthony Bourdain for sure! Mostly because I would want an honest opinion about what I served him, and I’m sure he wouldn’t sugar-coat anything.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

For me, there’s nothing better than the Penny Slot Jackpot. I love how the mint and the strawberry flavors go together. [Stash Box’s menu describes this cocktail as “Tequila, Branca Menta, lemon juice, simple syrup, and strawberry.”]

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

Drink trends come and go so quickly, but the espresso martini has come back huge lately.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

I’m usually only home for breakfast, so I’m going with scrambled eggs.

Weekly dish

Continued from page 22

person to take home. This event includes up to six adults. Children are welcome; those 12 and under can share your plates at no charge. Tickets for ages 13 to 20 include non-alcoholic drinks. Tickets cost $199 through eventbrite.

• Potato planting workshop: Do you love gardening but lack the space for a full garden? Have you ever wanted to grow your own potatoes at home? Learn how to plant and grow delicious potatoes right on your balcony, patio or any small space using containers, at a potato planting workshop at Cole Gardens (430 Loudon Road, Concord, 229-0655, colegardens.com) on Saturday, June 8, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Learn from experienced gardeners who will teach you the best practices for growing potatoes in containers. Get your hands dirty and plant your own potato container to take home. Cole Gardens supplies the seed potatoes, soil, containers and tools. This workshop costs $20 per person.

• Brunch and Bubbles: Flag Hill Winery (297 N. River Road, Lee, 659-2949, flaghill.com) will hold its June Brunch and Bubbles event Sunday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sparkling Cayuga White wine is included with brunch; there will be a makeyour-own mimosa bar as well. The cost is $65 per person. Reservations are required.

Jeremy Hart. Courtesy photo.

Drinks with John FlaDD

Rhubarb Sidecar – very cold

The stem of a glass — a wine glass, a Champagne flute or a martini glass — is there to help you keep your drink at the proper temperature. Glass is an excellent thermal insulator, and if you hold your glass by the stem very little of the heat from your hands will travel up to the drink, so it will stay cool longer.

Which is very useful for drinks that you want to drink very, very cold, like a sidecar.

Rhubarb Sidecar

Rhubarb Syrup

Rhubarb, chopped and frozen

An equal amount of granulated sugar, by weight

The juice of half a lemon

Sidecar

2 ounces cognac

1 ounce fresh squeezed lemon juice ¾ ounce rhubarb syrup

Cook frozen chopped rhubarb and sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally. By freezing the rhubarb, you have caused jagged crystals of ice to form and puncture most of the cell walls in the rhubarb. The sugar is emotionally needy and draws the juice from the rhubarb and bonds with it. It is unclear how the rhubarb feels about this, but it doesn’t really have any choice in the matter, because under heat the sugar is drawn into solution in its juice with a happy sigh. If you want to encourage this chemical matchmaking, you can use a potato masher to hurry the process along. Bring the mixture to a boil, and wait a few seconds longer to make sure all the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat, add the lemon juice to the mixture, then strain it with a finemesh strainer. Leave it to cool. (Don’t throw away the rhubarb solids; they are delicious.)

Wrap a double-handful of ice in a tea towel and beat it vigorously with something heavy (I use the pestle from my

largest mortar and pestle, but a meat tenderizer or the bottom of a small pot will work well, too). When you have crushed your ice, fill a martini glass with it and set it aside for five min utes or so to chill. This will give you time to squeeze the lemon juice for the cocktail — unless you’ve got a par ticularly selfless one that gives generously of itself, this will probably take a whole lemon’s worth.

Combine the cognac, lemon juice and your nowcool rhubarb syrup (cool in a temperature sense; the mere fact that you are making this cocktail makes you cool in a social sense) over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake extra-thoroughly; you want this cocktail to be colder than a penguin pawnbroker’s heart.

Dump the ice out of the martini glass; you’ve left it in until the last possi ble instant, to make sure the glass is as cold as possible. Strain the cocktail into it, with a hum of satisfaction at its color, a pinkish shade of apricot, like a bolt of silk in a hidden corner of a Turkish bazar. Find someplace quiet and comfortable — a screened-in porch, perhaps — and sip the drink while thinking about that time at that party when you were actually wit ty and attractive.

A sidecar is a classic cocktail in the same family as margaritas, whiskey sours and gimlets: a healthy belt of liquor, some sort of citrus juice and something sweet. In this case the brandy works really well with the fruitiness of the homemade rhu barb syrup. Rhubarb’s tartness plays well off the lemon juice. When a sidecar is skull-shrinkingly cold, the cognac takes a leading role in the taste, as it slowly warms up — because you’ve remem bered to hold your glass by the stem — and the more delicate fruity flavors become a little more pronounced.

A sidecar is much like many of us, who start out cold and sharp but mellow out a little with age.

Rhubarb Sidecar. Photo by John Fladd.

POP C ulT u RE

Steve Conte, The Concrete Jangle (Wicked Cool Records)

You may know Conte from his guitar contributions to the New York Dolls (or, more likely, not; he was with them for about five whole minutes, and yes, David Johansen was there at the time); he was also the guitarist for Michael Monroe’s band, in which he continues to perform. This dude has for-real rock star cachet either way, though, having been a utility player with Peter Wolf, Eric Burdon and even Paul Simon, by which I’m saying he knows how to write great songs. Half of this album was co-written with Andy Partridge of XTC, but after listening to the whole thing I get the sense that Conte is never the weak link when collaborating with the big stars he’s played with; it’s probably the other way around. Though this is billed as a Beatles-meets-’80s-pop-rock affair, the underlying vibe is undoubtedly Raspberries, i.e. ’50s-informed radio rock from the ’70s. The songs all get right into your head and take root right away. Really top-drawer stuff here. A+ —Eric W. Saeger

Marshall Jefferson, House Masters – Marshall Jefferson (defective Records)

At 64, Jefferson is one of the still-ticking vanguards of OG Chicago/deep house music; indeed, he’s generally regarded as the father of house music, if you wanna know. If you’re intimately familiar with the genre, this 40-song retrospective needs no introduction, but there are many years of his oeuvre to cover; this collection kicks off with an extended mix of his 1986 single for Trax Records, “Move Your Body,” the first house tune to use piano (Trax chief Larry Sherman didn’t consider it a house tune, so Jefferson added the line “The House Music Anthem” to the title, and the rest is literally history). “Devotion” is here also, another classic that clearly proves the ’70s-disco roots of deep house, with its sizzly hi-hat-driven beat and such. You may or may not also know that Jefferson put together plenty of songs with other stars like baritone singer CeCe Rogers; that collaboration is represented here in a club mix of their 1987 hit “Someday,” which is also a legendary jam. To say this collection is essential for house fans would do it no justice whatsoever. A+ —Eric W. Saeger

PLayLiST

A seriously abridged compendium of recent and future CD releases

• Bulletin, this just in, fam, there will be new rock ’n’ roll music CDs released this Friday, June 7, which is three days before my second book, My Year In The Online Left: Social Media, Solidarity, And Armchair Activism, becomes available for sale worldwide, can you even believe it folks, now there’s a coincidence! So, the hot weather is here, and we will roast, because unbelievably hot, but that’s OK, because we will have new albums to keep us cool, like f’rinstance the new one from Bill Belichik’s favorite hair-metal rocker, Bon Jovi, titled Forever! In celebrity gossip news, the other day I learned that Millie Bobby Brown (no relation to rapper Bobby Brown) married Bon Jovi’s son, Jake, in a beautiful ceremony celebrating the doomed special sort of love that lasts forever when you get married 10 minutes after reaching the age when you can get a driver’s license! No, I kid Millie Bobby Brown, here’s to many years of blissful whatever, now let’s go listen to the new rope-in single from Mr. Jovi — actually, forget that, the whole album is free on the YouTube, so I’ll just listen to the first song, “Living Proof,” and then tell you about it! Yeah, so this sounds like the new-old version of Bon Jovi, after Desmond Child stopped helping the band write songs like “Livin’ On A Prayer,” you remember, those microwaved tunes that wanted to be interesting and catchy but they were just sort of lumpy and boring (“It’s My Life,” anyone?). That’s what this song is, but Mr. Jovi is using that Peter Frampton talk box effect again, good lord. Other than that it’s truly thrilling and innovative, seriously.

• Bonny Light Horseman is something of an American folk supergroup, because the people in the band used to play in bands like The Shins and The National. Their 2020 self-titled debut album had a mix of traditional British folk songs and some originals, but since then they’ve gone more Americana. This new album, Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free, comes to us from Jagjaguwar Records, which has always sent me good stuff, and so unsurprisingly the single “I Know You Know” is a nice, refreshing burst of ’70s cowboy-pop, the beat evoking Linda Ronstadt while singer Eric Johnson (who’s aka the Fruit Bats, by the way) lays a sort of twangy Les Claypool vocal over it. It’s really not bad at all.

• The Mysterines are a British alt-grunge foursome fronted by guitarist Lia Metcalfe, and that’s really all there is to say about them for the moment; I was drawn to the band’s name, so I have no idea what I’m even doing with this. Wikipedia doesn’t know what to say about them either, so why don’t we just mosey over to YouTube to see what this is about, that’d be great. Bazinga, there they are, their new LP is Afraid Of Tomorrows, and the featured video is for the tune “Stray,” a gothy, Joy Division-infused creep-rocker that’s got something of a Trent Reznor vibe going, except there’s a girl singer and she has a low voice because she intentionally wants to scare you, like, there should be a parental warning, because I’ll tell you, I got the shivers myself.

• OK, let’s take it home with a new album from — oh no, it’s The Eels, terrific, I have to think of something relevant to say about David Malcolm Werewolf or whatever his name is, once again! Here’s a riddle, you know what you call a Tom Waits concert with The Eels opening up? A show I wouldn’t go to for $100! I’ve got a million of ’em, folks, but whatever, I’ll go see what’s going on with their new song, “Goldy.” It’s slow and grungy and kind of messy — interesting, I don’t hate this. Wait, there’s a sample part that’s boring and dumb. Backing away slowly from this. —Eric W. Saeger

God’s Ghostwriters, by Candida Moss (Little, Brown & Co., 303 pages)

In the first centuries of the Common Era, literacy was rare. Even when people knew how to read and write, they didn’t want to do it since scratching out letters and symbols on papyrus with no desks or ergonomic chairs was physically taxing. The solution for many elites of the time was to have enslaved people do it. While most of the early leaders of the fledgling movement that would one day be known as Christianity weren’t men of means, they still had people accompanying them on their travels, and these people — not necessarily Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — were the people who would write down the stories about Jesus of Nazareth, Many of them were enslaved, posits theologian Candida Moss in God’s Ghostwriters

Formerly a professor at Notre Dame, now at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., Moss is attempting to bring biblical scholarship surrounding the New Testament to a broader audience. In doing so, she may upset some apple carts of belief, specifically for those who perceive Christianity as a religion of the learned built on the writings of Aquinas, Augustine and other intellectual heavyweights. In fact, Moss points out, in its first centuries, the emerging religion was often derided as the fantastical beliefs of women, the lower classes and, most of all, enslaved people.

Some of these ideas are already wellknown, chief among them the fact that crucifixion was a form of execution used primarily to punish the enslaved and the worst kinds of criminals, and a threat to keep other people of low status in line. But Moss goes much further out on this limb, arguing that the involvement of the enslaved in the production and dissemination of Christian Bible influenced its content, through the inclusion (and exclusion) of certain things, and descriptions

Books

author events

• SIMON VAN BOOY will talk about his book Sipsworth at Water Street Bookstore (125 Water St., Exeter, waterstreetbooks.com) on Friday, June 7, at 7 p.m.

• AVREE KELLY CLARK, a Manchester author, will talk about her book Malice Aforethought: A True Story of the Shocking Double Crime that Horrified Nineteenth-Century New England on Saturday, June 8, at 3 p.m. at Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester, bookerymht.com).

• SONJA F. BLANCO will be at Barnes & Noble in Manchester (1741 S. Willow St., 668-5557) on Tuesday, June 11, at 5 p.m. to sign copies of her book Witch of Ware Woods, part

that would more easily flow from the mind of a servile person than from an elite. Descriptions of a netherworld, for example, are often disturbingly similar to conditions of prisons in ancient Rome, she says.

While conceding at the start that much of what she writes in God’s Ghostwriters is inferred from what is uncontested about this period of history, Moss makes a compelling, if provocative, case. She is used to controversy, having previously published a book that questioned the number of early Christians who were killed for their faith. Moss’s

not new information to scholars of the New Testament and early Christianity; just as there were people eager to advance the deity of Jesus, there were many people eager to stamp it out.

2013 The Myth of Persecution, for some, seemed an attack on Christianity itself, given that the martyrdom of early Christians is often used as an argument for the validity of Christianity’s claims. God’s Ghostwriters presents a similar problem, she acknowledges, writing, “If the New Testament is not the work of Jesus’ disciples, can it be trusted?”

Moss does not answer that question outright, but she is reportedly Catholic, so she must think there’s something of value in the Christian Bible. But she likens its “invisible” authors to delivery workers during the pandemic, writing “We speak of Amazon ‘delivering things,’ as if an abstract multinational company brought purchases to our home,” rather than lowwage workers.

For many readers, Moss might dance too close to the edge of blasphemy when she refers to certain biblical descriptions of Jesus as “slavish” and says that the narrative of Mark’s gospel, in particular, leaves room for interpretation that Mary was either enslaved or a sex worker. Some early critics of the fledgling Jesus movement argued that Jesus’s father was a Roman soldier named Pantera. This is

of a YA fantasy/paranormal series set in New England.

• UCHE OKONKWO, author of A Kind of Madness: Stories, will be in conversation with Todd Hearon at Water Street Bookstore (125 Water St., Exeter, waterstreetbooks.com) on Tuesday, June 11, at 7 p.m.

• STEPHANIE A. ERICKSON will be at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) to talk about her book Islands of Southern Lake Winnipesaukee on Tuesday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m.

• KEVIN MARTIN, boatbuilder and author of Big Trees of Northern New England, will be at Derry Public Library (64 E. Broadway, Derry, 432-6140) on Wednesday, June 12,

But Moss’s excavation provides an engrossing history of Roman life and how slavery was part and parcel of the time, and she offers a rudimentary and accessible snapshot of biblical scholarship that is rarely, if ever, delivered from a pulpit. She shows, for example, that the story of the adulterous woman about to be stoned that Jesus forgave — which she calls “something of a fan favorite” — was not in the earliest manuscripts of the Gospel of John, where it resides today, and speculates on how it came to be there. Her descriptions of life in ancient Rome do not give it the romantic overtones held by the many people on social media who say they think about ancient Rome daily — as much as Rome is marked by military conquest, roads and aqueducts, it was also a place where animal feces was used as mortar, and dogs, as well as humans, were crucified. Perhaps modernity isn’t as bad as we make it out to be.

Does it matter that the Gospel of Mark was not written by a disciple called Mark, but dictated by Peter to Mark or even to an unnamed, enslaved person? Does it matter if the letters of Paul were not physically composed by Paul, but by a person who was enslaved or formerly enslaved? For some, Moss acknowledges, yes, this would present “an insurmountable problem” to their faith. But it seems that for most people who see the Bible as the inspired word of God, it would not matter who actually held the stylus or reed. For those who are willing to have their preconceptions challenged, God’s Ghostwriters will do just that. B —Jennifer Graham

at 6 p.m. Register to attend at the library’s website.

• BRINDA CHARRY will be at Gibson’s Bookstore (45 S. Main St., Concord, 224-0562, gibsonsbookstore.com) to talk about her debut novel, The East Indian, on Thursday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m.

• ANN LEARY will be at The Music Hall Lounge (131 Congress St., Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall. org) on Thursday, June 13, at 7 p.m. for a discussion and Q&A about her new book, I’ve Tried Being Nice: Essays, in conversation with Laura Zigman. Tickets cost $44 and include a signed copy of the book

• TAMARA MATHIEU will talk about her book All Who Believed: A Memoir of Life in the Twelve Tribes

on Saturday, June 15, at 1 p.m. at Bookery (844 Elm St., Manchester, bookerymht.com).

• JOSEPH W. MCQUAID will talk about his book War Fronts Home Fires on Tuesday, June 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the Millyard Museum in Manchester (200 Bedford St.).

• MO ROCCA will be at The Music Hall (28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 436-2400, themusichall.org) on Tuesday, June 18, at 7 p.m. for a discussion about his new book, Roctogenarians, moderated by NHPR host Julia Furukawa, as part of the Writers on a New England Stage series. Tickets cost $18 plus fees, plus for every 1-2 tickets sold the purchase of a $29 book voucher is required.

Late Night With the Devil (R)

a 1970s late night talk show host really monkey-paws his prayer for ratings on Late Night with the Devil, a fun shaggy horror movie.

We’re told that the movie we’re watching is a combination of the show as it was aired and behind-the-scenes footage for the presumably final episode of Night Owls with Jack Delroy, a nighttime show in the 1970s that could never quite knock Johnny Carson off his perch as the king of late night. Host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian) earned his best ratings on the night his wife Madeleine (Georgina Haig) came on the show shortly before she died of cancer. Since then, he’s been in personal and professional turmoil. We also get some “the 1970s, man, they were wild” footage of riots and upheaval, mixed in with some “news” footage about a satanic cult.

All of which brings us to Halloween night in 1977, which also happens to be the start of sweeps week — which, fond sigh, kids, ask your grandpappies about the stunts and special guest stars TV shows broke out for those ratings-significant periods in the TV year. For Jack’s desperate ratings grab, he’s planned a Halloween show all about the hot topic that is the occult, featuring psychic Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), magician-turned-skeptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss), parapsychologist June Ross-Mitchen (Laura Gordon), her patient Lilly (Ingrid Torelli) and a singer that we’re all pretty sure is going to be bumped for time. June’s book, Conversations with the Devil, is about Lilly, the sole survivor of the satanic cult mentioned in the intro footage, who June claims is possessed by a demon.

The show starts with the kind of borderline corny comedy one associates with this particular time in TV — Jack offers a mostly “meh” comedy monologue, he does some banter with/light ribbing of Ed McMahon-ish sidekick Gus McConnell (Rhys Auteri), a band juices up the jokes with musical moments, and it all happens in front of an appropriate stripesand-mustard-tones set.

Christou is the first guest, offering some clumsy cold reads with messages from people who have crossed over. Right before his time ends, though, he is struck by what is perhaps a “real” supernatural moment — he drops his vaguely Spanish magic-y person accent,

he grabs his head in pain and his eyes roll back. The audience seems shocked, Jack isn’t quite sure what’s going on and producer Leo Fiske (Josh Quong Tart) is delighted that this moment of spookiness might attract viewers and attention.

I am here for this vibes-based horror. Rubber bats and goofy costumes in the audience mix with behind-the-scenes sweaty desperation and “it’s all an act” jadedness that help make the setting as regular and “nothing to see here” as it gets — until maybe it isn’t. What if Dick Cavett but sweatier and maybe possessed — it’s sort of a weird concept but it works and is mostly a fun-ride take. (The ending is abrupt and has a “we’ve only got the set for one more day, just go with what we have” not-quite feeling that, honestly, fits with the movie’s mood even if it doesn’t quite satisfy storywise.)

David Dastmalchian is exactly perfect in the lead role. He’s both sorta famous — he’s a real “he’s literally in everything” guy (his IMDb includes Marvel, DC, TV, Oppenheimer) — and not so well-known that he can’t sink into the sad, desperate mess that is Jack Delroy. B Rated R for violent content, some gore, and language including a sexual reference, according to the MPA at filmratings.com. Written and directed by Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, Late Night with the Devil is an hour and 26 minutes long and distributed by IFC Films. It is available on AMC+ and for rent or purchase.

The First Omen (R)

The “all” in “it’s all for you” is a long ramp-up prequel to the action

ie whose whole vibe is “tension plus heat and dirt.”

of the original The Omen in The First Omen, a movie that is a baroque operatic shriek but isn’t quite as fun as that implies.

I found myself thinking a lot about Evil during this movie, the series that just started its fourth and final season. It is airing on Paramount+ and it is a Robert and Michelle King joint (they of the The Good Wife television universe). Evil is a chocolate fudge sundae with extra cherries for a certain kind of dogma-fascinated lapsed Sunday school kid, thoroughly gleeful in its dark goofiness. It is a kick and a half and if you haven’t checked it out, run, don’t walk. This season’s endgame seems to be Antichrist-focused, not unlike this movie — is that a spoiler? If you aren’t aware that demon-children is the territory this movie is playing in, I’m not sure why you would watch it. It’s not a traditional horror in the sense of The Nun movies. It feels to me very much like Evil, very much Catholic school kids misbehaving with apocryphal church lore, but louder and without the sense of humor. (Evil has Andrea Martin in the supporting role of a demon-fighting nun, if you need another reason to check it out.)

Here, we’re following Margaret (Nell Tiger Free, best-known probably as the second Myrcella Baratheon from Game of Thrones), a young American novitiate showing up in early 1970s Rome to work at a Catholic convent/girls’ orphanage and school and take her vows and become a fully fledged nun. She’s been brought over by Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), a mentor since she was a child growing up in her very own nun-run girls’ school/ orphanage institution. She was a “bad kid” back then, but Cardinal Lawrence helped put her on the right path, Cardinal Lawrence is the best — I’m sure the movie will prove this to be true!

She is sharing a room with fellow novitiate Luz (Maria Caballero), who has decided to spend her last days pre-veil trying out decolletage and disco. She gets Margaret to join her for a night on the town, and though Margaret is fuzzy the next morning, Luz assures her that nothing too untoward happened.

Margaret is rather fuzzy at her new job too, where she can’t understand why all the other nuns are so mean to Carlita (Nicole Sorace), an admittedly odd child made all the odder by

her regular isolation from other kids. Margaret feels protective toward Carlita, and when Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson) shows up telling her that Carlita is part of a larger conspiracy, she might not immediately believe him — but she doesn’t completely discount him either.

This movie revs up slowly before barrelling toward a bonkers conclusion, all wheels flying off and motor on fire. Like a wild roller coaster you ride after waiting in a two-hour line, the finale helps you to forget a bit how much the beginning of this endeavor seemed to crawl. Well, the very beginning firmly plants us in the realm of “The Devil,” but then we slow-walk it through a novitiate’s quiet yet unsettling adventures in Rome to get back to that point.

That said, the bulk of the movie is not a lunacy drought. The movie is filled with devil imagery and so much gore, much of it centered around childbirth. The movie even brushes up close to Saying Something about female power, both in the church and in the wider world, which would have been a bit of clever fun in this kind of horror movie (and very Evil).

The movie does have a lot going for it and a lot of that — how the story comes together, how the movie walks the tightrope between terror and ridiculousness — is due to the skill of Free. She is very good at hitting the exact right notes with Margaret, who goes from sincere to scared to worried about her own mental state to determined.

The First Omen doesn’t exactly hit a bull’seye for me in either the genuinely scary or delightfully unhinged targets, but it is enough of a near miss for both that I had a decent time. Also, seriously, watch Evil. B- (for The First Omen; the TV show Evil is an A+ with a chef’s kiss).

Rated R for violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity, according to the MPA on filmratings.com, and some real House of the Dragon birthing-body horror stuff that you can not unsee, according to me. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson with a screenplay by Tim Smith & Arkasha Stevenson and Keith Thomas, The First Omen is two hours long and distributed by 20th Century Studios. The movie is now available for rent or purchase and is streaming on Hulu.

The Last Stop in Yuma County (R)

Bank robbers, locals and folks passing through unfortunately intersect at a dusty diner in 1970s-ish Arizona in The Last Stop in Yuma County, a decently fun mov-

Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) is the only one working behind the counter at the diner on the day that the air conditioning goes out and the fuel truck is late to fill up the empty pumps at the gas station across the road where owner Vernon (Faizon Love) has to tell people that they can wait in the diner for the truck or try to make it 100 miles to the next station.

A kitchen knife salesman (Jim Cummings) decides to wait it out, as do an older couple on a road trip (Gene Jones, Robin Bartlett). Charlotte and the knife salesmen are trying to act normal in the stuffy diner because that’s what fellow patrons Beau (Robert Brake) and Travis (Nicholas Logan) have told them to do. The knife salesman had absolutely no chill when he got a glimpse of Beau and Travis’ car and realized it and they fit the description of bank robbers who got away from a robbery earlier that morning. Soon Beau is holding them at gunpoint — as well as everybody else who happens through the diner, whether they know it or not — and waiting for the fuel truck and an escape route to show up. Will that happen before Charlotte’s husband, Charlie (Michael Abbott Jr.), the local sheriff, figures out that things are squirrelly at his wife’s diner?

Late Night with the Devil.

local music news & events

By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com

• Island country: Get ready for Kenny Chesney’s three-night stand at Gillette Stadium with No Shoes Nation, a tribute band from Seabrook that recreates the tropical troubadour’s sound and energy. Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m., LaBelle Winery, 345 Route 101, Amherst, $40 at labellewinery.com.

• Phish stew: An inventive mashup of the Vermont jam band and the likes of Miles Davis, Jazz Is Phsh is an instrumental supergroup led by Adam Chase that can take “Sample in a Jar” and fold in a bit of John Coltrane along with some Herbie Hancock and finish it all with original grooves for a funky, soulful and classy new take on a genre that’s already built on improvisation. Friday, June 7, 9 p.m., Stone Church, 5 Granite St., Newmarket, 21+, $20 at portsmouthnhtickets. com.

• Rockabilly roll: A high-octane gumbo of country, surf music and punk rock, Reverend Horton Heat is not a person but a band, fronted by singer, songwriter and guitar player Jim Heath. The group became a staple in the 1990s with songs like “Bales of Cocaine” and “Psychobilly Freakout.” They’re currently on a springlong tour with the similar-minded band The Surfajettes. Saturday, June 8, 9 pm., The Goat, 50 Old Granite St., Manchester, 21+, $29.50 at ticketmaster.com.

• Banjo afternoon: Though she began her musical career in bluegrass — Alison Brown was for a brief moment in the late ’80s a member of Alison Krauss & Union Station — she’s taken the banjo to another place in recent years. Her eponymous quintet performs an area show, weaving jazz, Celtic and other influences into “a sonic tapestry” that’s earned comparisons to fellow banjoist Bela Fleck. Sunday, June 9, 2 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $29 at palacetheatre.org.

• Living link: Evocative as both a singer and a guitarist, Keb’ Mo’ performs in Nashua. The five-time Grammy winner’s shows are soulful and compelling affairs; in 2022 he released Good To Be, with an infectious title track. One of those Grammys was won under his given name Kevin Moore, for co-writing “Git Fiddler,” from Jefferson Starship’s Red Octopus. Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua, $49 and up at etix.com.

i TE

On a roll Bike Run party with James Montgomery Band

By Michael Witthaus mwitthaus@hippopress.com

The yearly Laconia Motorcycle Week is returning, which means drivers should check their rear-view mirrors twice for the next 10 days while heading to the Lakes Region. It also signals the return of the Peter Makris Memorial Run, on June 8. Now in its 18th year, the charity ride attracts hundreds of motorcyclists and benefits area first responders Motorcycles assemble at Naswa resort and are escorted to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a few laps, followed by a ride around the lake that ends back at Naswa. Now part of this tradition is James Montgomery, who began playing the bike run’s afterparty in the mid-2010s. The blues harmonica stalwart is back again with his band for an afternoon set.

He’ll also help kick things off.

“I play ‘Amazing Grace’ at the beginning of the bike run,” Montgomery said by phone recently. “Last year we must have done at least 500 bikes, something like that. It’s a pretty big run, and raises money, and then we have a party afterward — and, you know, nobody gets hurt.”

Montgomery has been a fixture on the New England blues circuit since coming here in the early 1970s. He attended BU with plans to be a teacher, but instead fell into a music scene that included the J. Geils Band, Bonnie Raitt and Duke & the Drivers. He was signed to the Allman Brothers’ label Capricorn Records, where he worked with studio legend Tom Dowd on his second album.

Montgomery discovered the blues in his hometown of Detroit, seeing legends like Muddy Waters, Junior Wells and John Lee Hooker perform and learning his harmonica and singing style from James Cotton and Paul Butterfield. His reverence for the genre’s progenitors spawned a career in film. He’s participated in documentaries on Butterfield and fabled Boston radio station WBCN.

He also co-produced Bonny Blue, a documentary about Cotton, who he had a father/son relationship with prior to his death in 2017. The film’s centerpiece is a

James Montgomery Band

When: Saturday, June 8, 1 p.m. (following Peter Makris Bike Run)

Where: Naswa Resort, 1086 Weirs Beach, Laconia Info: naswa.com

five-camera shoot done at Boston’s House of Blues while Cotton was still alive, with Huey Lewis and the late Jay Geils also in the harp legend’s band.

Montgomery beams while discussing the film, which debuted last year on the festival circuit and will see a general release later this summer.

“We were one of five finalists for the Library of Congress Ken Burns Prize,” he said. “It’s one of the highest awards you can get.”

His current movie project is non-musical, and close to home for Montgomery. America, You Kill Me is a documentary about his late brother Jeffrey, a pioneering gay rights activist in Detroit. His advocacy began when his partner was shot outside a Detroit gay bar in 1984, and he learned that local police were not aggressively investigating it or other LGBT-related murders. It’s played in a few movie houses, and Montgomery is working on a national release.

like the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” and “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman.

Each one is given its own spin on the original.

I had a ball making that record…. They gave me a bottle of wine and 20 bucks, and I went, ‘OK, I’ll do it for that. JAMeS MonTGoMeRy

“Jay Willie’s like me — don’t just cover something; he really wants to make an additional statement,” Montgomery said, adding, “I had a ball making that record…. They gave me a bottle of wine and 20 bucks, and I went, ‘OK, I’ll do it for that.’ The wine cost more than what they paid me, but anyway, we had a great time.” His signature kung fu kick is still operational, though the 71-year-old harmonica player jokes that a hip replacement may change that someday.

Musically, his most recent album was a duet effort: 2020’s Cadillac Walk, recorded with guitarist and singer Jay Willie. The title comes from a Mink DeVille song that’s one of several covers on the disc,

“The generation that grew up playing in rock ’n’ roll bands in the late ’60s and ’70s always thought we were going to be young forever … none of us have this mentality that we’re old,” he said. “I say I’m on the ‘too stupid to stop’ tour, because if you don’t stop, you don’t even notice how long you’ve been playing.”

James Montgomery. Courtesy photo.

NiTE MuSIC THIS WEEK

595 Daniel Webster Hwy., 424-4479

milford

The Pasta Loft

241 Union Square, 6722270

Riley’s Place

29 Mont Vernon St., 380-3480

Stonecutters Pub 63 Union Square, 2135979

moultonborough Buckey’s

240 Governor Wentworth Hwy., 476-5485

Nashua Bistro 603 345 Amherst St., 7226362

Casey Magee’s Irish Pub

8 Temple St., 484-7400

Fody’s Tavern 9 Clinton St., 577-9015

Greeley Park Bandshell 100 Concord St.

San Francisco Kitchen 133 Main St., 886-8833

Gilford

Shorty’s Mexican Roadhouse

48 Gusabel Ave., 8824070

Stella Blu 70 E. Pearl St., 5785557

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

Northfield Boonedoxz Pub 95 Park St., 717-8267

Penacook American Legion Post 31 11 Charles St., 7539372

Pittsfield Over the Moon 1253 Upper City Road, 216-2162

Portsmouth

The Gas Light 64 Market St., 430-9122

The Goat 142 Congress St., 5904628 Grill 28

Bisson, 8 p.m.

Beans & Greens: Chris Lester, 5 p.m.

Goffstown

Village Trestle: Rose Kula, 6 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Joe Samba, 8 p.m.

CR’s: Bob Tirelli, 6 p.m.

The Goat: Mike Jetti, 8 p.m.

Whym: Liz Ridgley, 6:30 p.m.

Hudson

Luk’s: Jimmy D

Lynn’s 102: karaoke w/George

Laconia

Pease Golf Course, 200 Grafton Road, 766-6466

Mojo’s West End Tavern 95 Brewery Lane, 4366656

Press Room 77 Daniel St., 431-5186

rochester Governor’s Inn 78 Wakefield St., 3320107

Porter’s 19 Hanson St., 3301964

Salem

Copper Door 41 S. Broadway, 4582033

Luna Bistro 254 N. Broadway, 4582162

T-Bones 311 South Broadway, 893-3444

Tuscan Kitchen 67 Main St., 952-4875

Tuscan Village 9 Via Toscana, 2129650

Fratello’s: Jessica Olson, 7 p.m.

Litchfield

Day of the Dead: music bingo, 6:30 p.m.

Londonderry

Coach Stop: Jeff Mrozek, 6 p.m.

Stumble Inn: MoneyKat, 8 p.m.

manchester

Backyard Brewery: Joel Begin, 6 p.m.

Bonfire: Phil Maurice, 9 p.m.

COMeDY THIS WeeK anD beYOnD

• Frank Santos Jr., R-Rated Hypnotist Makris in Concord, Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m.

• Hasan Minhaj Nashua Center for the Arts, nashuacenterforthearts.com., Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m.

• Dave Russo Presents Fulchino Vineyard in Hollis, fulchinovineyard.com, Friday, June 7, 7:30 p.m.

• Lenny Clarke & Friends Rex in Manchester, palacetheatre.org, Friday, June 7, 7:30 p.m.

• Hasan Minhaj Colonial in Laconia, coloniallaconia.com,

Seabrook

Backyard Burgers & Wings

5 Provident Way, 7602581

Chop Shop Pub 920 Lafayette Road, 760-7706

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

Somersworth

Earth Eagle North 350 Route 108, 8415421

Tilton

Tilton Farmers Market Tanger Outlets, 120 Laconia Road

Warner

The Local 15 E. Main St., 4563333

Windham

Old School Bar & Grill

49 Range Road, 4586051

Derryfield: Bob Pratte Duo, 6 p.m.; Hell on Heels, 8 p.m.

Firefly: Jamie Hughes, 5 p.m.

Fratello’s: Peter Pappas, 6 p.m.

The Foundry: Dave Zangri, 6 p.m.

The Hill: Joe Winslow, 5:30 p.m.

KC’s Rib Shack: Bello Perrotta, 6 p.m.

Shaskeen: Nu Metal Night, 9 p.m.

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

Strange Brew: Frank Morey, 8 p.m.

To Share Brewing: Andrea Paquin, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, June 7, 8 p.m.

• Stacey Kendro Headliners in Manchester, headlinersnh.com, Saturday, June 8, 8:30 p.m.

• Brian Beaudoin Chunky’s in Manchester, chunkys.com, Saturday, June 8, 8:30 p.m.

• Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood Music Hall in Portsmouth, themusichall.org, Thursday, June 13, 8 p.m.

• Tom Cotter Rex in Manchester, thepalacetheatre.org, Friday, June 14, 7:30 p.m.

• Dave Ross Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth, themusichall.org, Friday, June 14, 8 p.m.

• Eddie B Chubb Theatre in Concord, ccanh.com, Saturday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.

• Andy Beningo Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth, themusichall.org, Saturday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.

• Juston McKinney Rochester Opera House, rochesteroperahouse.com, Saturday, June 15, 7:30 p.m.

• Tim McKeever Headliners in Manchester, headlinersnh.com, Saturday, June 15, 8:30 p.m.

• Mike Hanley Chunky’s in Manchester, chunkys.com, Saturday, June 15, 8:30 p.m.

Check out new items on Facebook @dejavufurnitureNH

“It is the old, the new, the hand-me-down, the collected, the worn but loved things in your home that make it your own.” -Stacy Risenmay (Not Just a Housewife)

603.437.5571 | 113 Hillside Ave, Londonderry, NH Tues-Friday - 9-5 | Sat 9-4 | Sunday 10-4 | Closed Mondays

NiTE

meredith

Meredith Farmers Market: Rock Dove, 3:30 p.m.

Twin Barns: Dakota Smart, 6 p.m.

merrimack

Homestead: Stephen DeCuire, 6 p.m.

milford

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

moultonborough

Buckey’s: Chris White Band, 6:30 p.m.

Nashua

Bistro 603: Kevin Horan

Casey Magee’s: karaoke, 9:30 p.m.

New Boston

Molly’s: Travis Rollo, 6:30 p.m.

Northfield

Boonedoxz Pub: karaoke night, 7 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Alex Roy Band, 7 p.m.; Colin Hart, 9:30 p.m.

Goat: Chris Toler, 8 p.m.

Grill 28: Malcolm Salls, 6 p.m.

rochester

Governor’s Inn: The Hellraizers,

7 p.m.

Salem Luna Bistro: Dan Fallon, 7 p.m.

Tuscan: Houston Bernard Band, 6 p.m.

Saturday, June 8

alton Bay

Foster’s Tavern: Luciano Monzione, 6 p.m.

Bow

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

Bristol Purple Pit: Sharon “Sugar” Jones, 7 p.m.

Brookline Alamo: Travis Rollo, 6 p.m.

Concord

Concord Arts Market: Ian Galipeau, 10 a.m.

Contoocook

Cider Co.: Ryan Williamson, 1 p.m.

Derry

Hare of the Dawg: Bella Perotta, 6 p.m.; Karen Grenier, 7 p.m.

Dover

Auspicious Brew: Ratland, Kate Possi, Baby Fearn & the Plants,

8 p.m.

Epping

Holy Grail: Rasmyth Duo, 6 p.m.

Telly’s: Amanda Dane Band, 8 p.m.

Gilford

Patrick’s Pub: Sunshine Street, 6 p.m.

Goffstown

Stonebridge: Tequila Jim, 5 p.m.

Village Trestle: Chris Taylor, 6 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Joe Samba, 8 p.m.

The Goat: Justin Federico, 1 p.m.; Chris Toler, 8 p.m.

Hampton Beach Sea Shell

Stage: The Shakerz Band, 7 & 8:30 p.m.

L Street: live music, 4 p.m.

Sea Ketch: Clint Lapointe, 1 p.m.; Richard Wallace, 8 p.m.

Smuttynose: Malcolm Salls, 1 p.m.

Whym: Keith Crocker, 6:30 p.m.

Hudson

Luk’s Bar: Wooden Soul

Laconia

The Big House: Run Like Thieves, 6 p.m.

Fratello’s: Lou Antonucci, 6 p.m.

Tower Hill: Young Guns Band,

5:30 p.m.; Blue Monkey Band, 10 p.m.

Londonderry

Coach Stop: Joe Winslow, 6 p.m.

Pipe Dream Brewing: Bazooka Joe Band, 6 p.m.

Stumble Inn: Elliot Lewis, 2 p.m.; Mt. Pleasant, 8 p.m.

manchester

Backyard Brewery: Ryan Williamson, 6 p.m.

Bonfire: Lexi James, 9 p.m.

Derryfield: Swipe Right Duo, 6 p.m.; Off the Record, 8 p.m.

Firefly: Dani Sven, 5 p.m.

The Foundry: Dave Clark, 6 p.m.

Fratello’s: Jordan Quinn, 6 p.m.

The Goat: Musical Brunch with Brooks Hubbard, 10 a.m.; Reverend Horton Heat, 9 p.m.

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

KC’s: Pete Peterson, 6 p.m.

Murphy’s: Slow Burn, 9:30 p.m.

Shaskeen: The Wicked Lo-Down album release party feat. Brian Templeton, 8 p.m.

Stark Brewing: Glitter & Camo, 7 p.m.

Strange Brew: Rocky Thomas Band, 9 p.m.

To Share Brewing: Matt Litzinger, 5 p.m.

Wild Rover: Stephen DeCuire, 5 p.m.

meredith

Twin Barns: The Lone Wolf Project, 3 p.m.

merrimack

Homestead: Sean Coleman, 6 p.m.

moultonborough

Buckey’s: Rusty Bones, 6:30 p.m.

Nashua

Bistro 603: Sarah Martin

Casey Magee’s: Jenni Lynn Duo, 8 p.m.

SFK: Scott King, 6:30 p.m.

New Boston

Molly’s: Robert & Rich, 6:30 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Paul Warnick, 2 p.m.; Fat Bunny Band, 7 p.m.; Matt Luneau, 9:30 p.m.

Goat: Mike Jetti, 8 p.m.

rochester

Governor’s Inn: Aunt Peg, 7 p.m.

Salem

Luna Bistro: Chad LaMarsh, 7 p.m.

Tuscan: Sam Dimitrius, 1 p.m.; Whiskey Tango, 6 p.m.

Sunday, June 9

Bedford

Copper Door: Steve Aubert, 11 a.m.

Murphy’s: Dalton Sayball, 4 p.m.

Brookline

Alamo: Chris Powers, 4 p.m.

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

Concord

Cheers: Brooks Young, 5 p.m.

Contoocook

Contoocook Cider Co.: Ryan Williamson, 1 p.m.

Epping

Telly’s: Kitchen Party, 5 p.m.

Goffstown

Village Trestle: Jonny Friday, 3:30 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Shwayze, 8 p.m.

CR’s: Don Severance, 4 p.m.

Goat: Chris Toler, 1 p.m.; Justin Jordan, 8 p.m.

Sea Ketch: Ray Zerkle, 1 p.m.

Smuttynose: Ralph Allen, 12:30 p.m.

Wally’s: Shwayze, 8 p.m.

Laconia

T-Bones: Henry Laliberte, 4 p.m.

Continued from pg 28

“Waiting for the other shoe to drop” is basically what the movie is all about, especially as other people enter the picture, such as Charlie’s hapless deputy and a young couple eager to either emulate or steal from the robbers. There is maybe too much waiting and too little shoe, with a climax that is only momentarily exciting. This movie is fine if you happen by it but nothing I’d go out of my way to seek out.

C+ Available for rent or purchase.

film

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (R, 2024) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord, redrivertheatres.org, on Thursday, June 6, at 3:45 & 7 p.m.

• Ezra (R, 2024) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord on Thursday, June 6, at 4 & 6:30 p.m.; Friday, June 7, through Sunday, June 9, at 1:30, 4 & 6:30 p.m.; Monday, June 10, at 4 & 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, June 11, at 3:45 p.m.; Wednesday, June 12, and Thursday, June 13, at 4 & 6:30 p.m.

• You Can Call Me Bill (PG13, 2024) a documentary about William Shatner, will screen on Thursday, June 6, at 7 p.m. at the Music Hall in Portsmouth, themusichall.org.

• NBA Finals on the Big Screen

The Beekeeper (R)

Jason Statham is a beekeeper in the dumb and awesome The Beekeeper. Adam Clay (Statham) is a beekeeper who protects the hive (a thing he says eleventy billion times here) in both the literal sense and the “government agency with dumb name” sense. Literally, he keeps bees on the property of Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad), a nice lady who was nice to him. In the other sense he’s recently retired from The Beekeepers, an outside the normal order of things group of government assas-

The Boston Celtics versus the Dallas Mavericks will screen at Chunky’s in Manchester, chunkys. com, at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6; Sunday, June 9; Wednesday, June 12, and Friday, June 14.

• Pints! Camera! Action! With The Birdcage (R, 1996) will screen Thursday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth. At these monthly events, “The movie will be on, but conversations, quoting along, and loud banter are not only encouraged, but the whole point!” according to the Music Hall website.

• Babes (R, 2024) will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord on Friday, June 7, through Sunday, June 9, at 1:45, 4:15 & 6:45 p.m.; Monday, June 10, through Thursday, June 13, at 4:15 & 6:45 p.m.

Hippo | June 6 - 12, 2024 | page 32

• Milford Drive-In Shows are Friday and Saturday at 6:15 p.m. The cost is $33 per car with up to six people. See the website for the offerings on each of two screens.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (PG-13, 2001) an extended edition will screen via Fathom Events, fathomevents.com on Saturday, June 8, at Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack (at 4 p.m.), at AMC Londonderry (4 p.m), Cinemark in Salem (11:50 a.m., 3:30, 4 & 8:10 p.m.) O’neil Cinemas in Epping (at 4 p.m.) and at Regal Fox Run in Newington (10:55 a.m., 3:30 & 3:35 p.m.).

The movie will also screen Saturday, June 15, at O’neil Cinemas in Epping (4 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run (3:30 p.m.).

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two

sins. So when Eloise takes her own life after being scammed out of every penny she has, Adam and his particular set of skills killer-robot marches through every level of the organization of scammers, blowing stuff up and demolishing every henchman put in front of him. Working a parallel investigation into what happened to Eloise is her daughter, FBI agent Verona Parker (Emmy Raver-Lampman), who is also awesome and if somebody wants to do an equally dumb spinoff movie about her, I promise to buy tickets.

Towers (PG-13, 2002) an extended edition will screen via Fathom Events on Sunday, June 9, at Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack (at 4 p.m.), at AMC Londonderry (4 p.m), Cinemark in Salem (11:15 a.m., 3:30, 4 & 7:45 p.m.) O’neil Cinemas in Epping (at 4 p.m.) and at Regal Fox Run in Newington (10:45 a.m., 3:30 & 3:35 p.m.). The movie will also screen Sunday, June 16, at O’neil Cinemas in Epping (4 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run (3:30 p.m.).

• The Secret World of Arrietty (G, 2010) from Studio Ghibli will screen via Fathom Events on Sunday, June 9, dubbed, at Apple Cinemas in Merrimack at 3 & 7 p.m.; Cinemark in Salem at 3 & 7 p.m.; O’neil Cinemas in Epping at 7 p.m., and Regal Fox Run at Newington at 3 & 7 p.m. and on

I didn’t actually see this movie in a theater; I saw it at home on a day I specifically was looking for something fun and stupid to watch, and this movie super fit the bill. It is exactly, 100 percent, completely what you think you will get based on the phrase “Jason Statham in The Beekeeper,” said in that “in a world” voice. It’s all punching, all ka-booming, all threats and violent comebacks to dumb taunts. It is, when you need this sort of thing, perfect. B+ Available for rent or purchase and streaming on MGM+.

Tuesday, June 11, subtitled, at Apple Cinemas Merrimack and Hooksett at 7 p.m., Cinemark in Salem at 7 p.m. and Regal Fox Run at 7 p.m..

• 11th Annual Granite Youth Film Festival, designed for middle schoolers and older, will screen at the Music Hall in Portsmouth on Sunday, June 9, at 4:30 p.m.

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (PG-13, 2003) an extended edition will screen via Fathom Events on Monday, June 10, at Apple Cinemas in Hooksett and Merrimack (at 7 p.m.), at AMC Londonderry (7 p.m), Cinemark in Salem (2:10, 6 & 7 p.m.) O’neil Cinemas in Epping (at 7 p.m.) and at Regal Fox Run in Newington (11:15 a.m., 6:55 & 7:05 p.m.). The movie will also screen Monday, June 17, at O’neil

Cinemas in Epping (7 p.m.) and Regal Fox Run (6:55 p.m.).

• When Marnie Was There (PG, 2014) from Studio Ghibli, will screen via Fathom Events on Monday, June 10, dubbed, at Apple Cinemas Merrimack at 7 p.m.; Cinemark in Salem at 7:10 p.m.; at O’neil Cinemas at 7 p.m. and Regal Fox Run in Newington at 7 p.m., and Wednesday, June 12, subtitled, at 7 p.m., at Apple Cinemas Merrimack and Hooksett, Cinemark in Salem, O’neil Cinemas in Epping and Regal Fox Run in Newington.

• Creative Guts Short Film Festival, a two-hour program of short films, will screen at Red River Theatres in Concord on Tuesday, June 11, at 6 p.m.

NiTE MuSIC THIS WEEK

Tower Hill: Run Like Thieves, 4 p.m.; Russell Watts & Atlantic

Avenue Band, 5:30 p.m; Young Ones Band; Blue Monkey Group

Londonderry

Stumble Inn: M & D Duo, 4 p.m.

manchester

Bonfire: free line dancing, 6 p.m.

Derryfield: Chuck Alaimo Duo, 5 p.m.

Firefly: Chuck Alaimo, 11 a.m.

The Goat: Mike Jetti, 10 a.m.; Garrett Smith, 7 p.m.

KC’s: Justin Cohn, 3 p.m.

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

To Share Brewing: open mic, 4 p.m.

milford

Riley’s Place: blues jam, 1 p.m.

Nashua

Stella Blu: Tom Rousseau, 3 p.m.

New Boston

Molly’s: Richard Wallace, 1 p.m.

Northfield

Boonedoxz Pub: open mic, 4 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Rebecca Turmel, 2 p.m.; Dave Ayotte Band, 6 p.m.

Goat: Rob Pagnano, 9 p.m.

Salem

Copper Door: Steve Prisby, 11 a.m.

Luna Bistro: Matt Fuller, 4 p.m.

Tuscan: Danny Tucker, 5 p.m.

Windham

Old School: Mike Gacek, 2 p.m.

Monday, June 10

Bedford

Murphy’s: Tyler Levs, 5:30 p.m.

Dover

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

Epping

Telly’s: Colin Hart, 6:30 p.m.

Gilford

Patrick’s Pub: open mic with John McArthur

Hampton

Goat: Caylin Costello, 8 p.m.

Hudson

The Bar: karaoke with Phil

Laconia

Wreck Yard at the Big House: The Luciano Monzione Band, 4:30 p.m.

Londonderry

Stumble Inn: Monday Night Muse with Lisa Guyer, 7 p.m.

manchester Fratello’s: Paul Jacques, 5:30

p.m.

The Goat: Musical Bingo Nation, 7 p.m.; Jonny Friday, 8 p.m.

Murphy’s: live music, 5:30 p.m.

Salona: music bingo with Jennifer Mitchell, 6 p.m.

merrimack

Homestead: Peter Pappas, 5:30 p.m.

Nashua

Fody’s: karaoke night, 9:30 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Justin Jordan, 7:30 p.m.

The Goat: Musical Bingo Nation, 7 p.m.; Andrew Dostie, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, June 11

Bedford

Murphy’s: Pete Peterson, 5:30 p.m.

Concord

Barley House: Irish session, 6 p.m.

Tandy’s: open mic, 8 p.m.

Epping

Telly’s: Sam Hammerman, 6:30 p.m.

Hampton

Bernie’s: Reggae Night w/ Mike Francis, Green Lion Crew, 7 p.m.

Goat: Ryan Flynn, 8 p.m.

Wally’s: music bingo, 7 p.m.

Henniker

Angela Robinson Bandstand: Peabody’s Coal Train, 6 p.m.

Laconia

Tower Hill: Boneshakers, 5:30 p.m.

manchester

Bookery: AJ Coletti, 6 p.m.

Fratello’s: Jodee Frawlee, 5:30 p.m.

The Goat: karaoke night with George Cox, 8 p.m.

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

Murphy’s: Pete Peterson, 5:30 p.m.

Strange Brew: David Rousseau, 8 p.m.

merrimack

Homestead: Jeff Mrozek, 5:30 p.m.

Nashua

Greeley Park: Studio Two (Beatles tribute), 7 p.m.

Portsmouth

Gas Light: Max Sullivan, 7:30 p.m.

Press Room: Soggy Po’ Boys, 9 p.m.

rochester

Porter’s: karaoke, 6:30 p.m.

Seabrook

Backyard Burgers: music bingo with Jennifer Mitchell, 7 p.m.

Tilton

Tilton Farmers Market: Richard Gehrts, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, June 12

Bedford

Murphy’s: Ken Budka, 5:30 p.m.

Concord

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

Tandy’s: karaoke, 8 p.m.

Uno: Tyler Levs, 6 p.m.

Derry

Fody’s: karaoke, 7 p.m.

Epping

Telly’s: Andrea Paquin, 7 p.m.

Kingston

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

Hampton

Goat: Justin Jordan, 8 p.m.

Laconia

The Big House: Walk That Walk, 6 p.m.

Tower Hill: Young Guns Bands, 1 p.m.; 90 Miles Away, 5:30 p.m.

Londonderry

Londonderry Town Common: Jessica Lynn, 7 p.m.

manchester

Derryfield: Clint Lapointe, 6 p.m.

Firefly: Joanie Cicatelli, 5 p.m.

Fratello’s: Dave Clark, 5:30 p.m.

The Goat: Mike Jetti, 10 p.m.

Murphy’s: live music, 5:30 p.m.

Stark Brewing: Cox karaoke, 8 p.m.

Strange Brew: open mic with Jordan Quinn and Scott Armstrong, 8 p.m.

merrimack

Homestead: Casey Roop, 5:30 p.m.

milford

Riley’s: karaoke, 7 p.m.

Stonecutters Pub: open mic, 8 p.m.

Portsmouth Gas Light: Pete Peterson, 7:30 p.m.

Seabrook

Chop Shop: DJ Manny karaoke, 7:30 p.m.

Trivia

Events

• 21+ New Girl trivia night

Thursday, June 6, 7:30 p.m. at Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester; chunkys.com).

• Family-friendly Inside Out

trivia night Sunday, June 9, 5:30 p.m. at Chunky’s (707 Huse Road, Manchester; chunkys.com).

Weekly

• Thursday trivia with Game

Time Trivia at Mitchell BBQ (50 N. Main St., Rochester, 332-2537, mitchellhillbbq.com) at 6 p.m.

• Thursday trivia at Reed’s North (2 E. Main St., Warner, 456-2143, reedsnorth.com) from 6 to 8 p.m.

• Thursday trivia at Station 101 (193 Union Sq., Milford, 2495416) at 6:30 p.m.

• Thursday music trivia at Day of the Dead Taqueria (454 Charles Bancroft Hwy. in Litchfield, 3777664) at 6:30 p.m.

• Thursday trivia with Geeks

Concerts

• Chrissi Poland Band Thursday, June 6, 7:30 p.m., Jimmy’s in Portsmouth, jimmysoncongress.com

• No Shoes Nation (Kenny Chesney tribute) Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m., LaBelle Amherst, labellewinery.com

• Superfrog Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m., Press Room in Portsmouth, pressroomnh.com

• Good Acoustics (James Taylor/Simon & Garfunkel tribute) Thursday, June 6, 8 p.m., LaBelle Derry, labellewinery. com

• The Wolff Sisters Friday, June 7, 7 p.m., Word Barn in Exeter, thewordbarn.com

• John Hiatt Friday, June 7, 7:30 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, nashuacenterforthearts.com

• The Weight Band (The Band tribute) Friday, June 7, 7:30 p.m., Jimmy’s in Portsmouth, jimmysoncongress.com

• Stryper Friday, June 7, 8 p.m., Tupelo in Derry, tupelomsucihall.com

Who Drink at the Barley House (132 N. Main St., Concord, thebarleyhouse.com) at 7 p.m.

• Thursday trivia with Game Time Trivia at Hart’s Turkey Farm (223 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-6212, hartsturkeyfarm.com) from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

• Thursday Opinionation by Sporcle trivia at Uno Pizzeria & Grill (15 Fort Eddy Road in Concord; 226-8667) at 7 p.m.

• Thursday trivia at Hop Knot (1000 Elm St., Manchester, 2323731, hopknotnh.com) at 7 p.m.

• Thursday trivia at Shooters Sports Pub (6 Columbus Ave., Exeter, 772-3856) at 7:15 p.m.

• Thursday trivia at Liquid Therapy (14 Court St., Nashua, 4029391) at 7:30 p.m.

• Thursday trivia at Game Changer Sports Bar (4 Orchard View Dr., Londonderry; 216-1396, gamechangersportsbar.com) from 8 to 10 p.m.

• Thursday trivia at Strange Brew

• Andrew North & The Rangers/The Dirtboys Friday, June 7, 8 p.m., Press Room in Portsmouth, pressroomnh.com

• Johnny Folsom 4 (Johnny Cash tribute) Friday, June 7, 8 p.m., Rochester Opera House, rochesteroperahouse.com

• Muse! A Tribute to Divas in the 90s Friday, June 7, 8 p.m., Music Hall Lounge in Portsmouth, themusichall.org

• Jo Dee Messina Friday, June 7, 8 p.m., Casino Ballroom at Hampton Beach, casinoballroom.com

• The Mallett Brothers Band Saturday, June 8, 6 p.m., The Range in Mason, therangemason.com

• Soggy Po’Boys Saturday, June 8, 7 p.m., Word Barn in Exeter, thewordbarn.com

• The Weight Band (The Band tribute) Saturday, June 8, 7:30 p.m., Jimmy’s in Portsmouth, jimmysoncongress.com

• Scott Spradling Band Saturday, June 8, 7:30 p.m., Rex

• Jazz Is Phish Saturday, June

(88 Market St., Manchester, 6664292) at 8 p.m.

• First Thursday of every month trivia at Fody’s (9 Clinton St., Nashua; fodystavern.com) at 8 p.m.

• First and third Thursday of every month trivia at To Share Brewing (720 Union St., Manchester, tosharebrewing.com) at 6:30 p.m.

• Friday trivia at Biergarten Anheuser-Busch (221 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack) from 6 to 8 p.m.

• Sunday trivia at Mountain Base Brewery (553 Mast Road, No. 111, Goffstown, 315-8382) at 4 p.m.

• Monday Pub Quiz at Shaskeen

8, 7:30 p.m., Flying Monkey in Plymouth, flyingmonkeynh.com

• Being Petty (Tom Petty tribute) Saturday, June 8, 7:30 p.m., Park Theatre in Jaffrey, theparktheatre.org

• Symphony NH: The Music of John Williams Saturday, June 8, 7:30 p.m., Chubb Theatre in Concord, ccanh.com

• Kashmir (Led Zeppelin tribute) Saturday, June 8, 8 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, nashuacenterforthearts.com

• Soggy Po’ Boys Saturday, June 8, 8 p.m., Word Barn in Exeter, thewordbarn.com

• Bobby Sings the King Saturday, June 8, 8 p.m., Rochester Opera House, rochesteroperahouse.com

• Voyage (Journey tribute) Saturday, June 8, 8 p.m., Casino Ballroom at Hampton Beach, casinoballroom.com

• The Edd/Zoologic Saturday, June 8, 9 p.m., Press Room in Portsmouth, pressroomnh.com

(909 Elm St., Manchester, 6250246, shaskeenirishpub.com) at 7:30 p.m.

• Tuesday trivia at Able Ebenezer Brewing (31 Columbia Circle, Merrimack, 844-223-2253) at 6 p.m.

• Tuesday trivia at Sea Dog Brewing (5 Water St., Exeter, 793-5116) at 6 p.m.

• Tuesday trivia at Second Brook Bar & Grill (1100 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, secondbrook.com) at 7 p.m.

• Tuesday trivia at Fody’s (187 Rockingham Road, Derry, 4046946, fodystavern.com) at 7 p.m.

• Tuesday trivia at Lynn’s 102 Tavern (76 Derry Road, Hudson, 943-7832, lynns102.com), at 7 p.m.

• Tuesday trivia at Gibb’s Garage Bar (3612 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, gibbsgaragebar.com) from 8 to 10 p.m.

• Tuesday Geeks Who Drink trivia at Peddler’s Daughter (48

Main St., Nashua, 821-7535, thepeddlersdaughter.com), from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

• Wednesday trivia at Community Oven (845 Lafayette Road, Hampton, 601-6311, thecommunityoven.com) at 6 p.m.

• Wednesday Brews & Qs trivia, 21+, at Feathered Friend (231 S. Main St., Concord, 715-2347, featheredfriendbrewing.com) at 6 p.m.

• Wednesday trivia at Lithermans (126 Hall St., Concord, lithermans.beer) at 6 p.m.

• Wednesday trivia at Otto (33 Water St., Exeter, 810-6886) at 6 p.m.

• Wednesday trivia at Spyglass Brewing Co. (306 Innovative Way, Nashua, 546-2965, spyglassbrewing.com) at 6 p.m.

• Wednesday trivia at Topwater Brewing (748 Calef Hwy., Barrington, 664-5444) at 6 p.m.

• Wednesday The Greatest Trivia in the World at Revolution Taproom and Grill (61 N. Main St., Rochester, 244-3042, revolutiontaproomandgrill.com/upcoming-events) at 6:30 p.m.

• Wednesday trivia at Don Ramon (6 Whitney St., Merrimack, 4208468) from 7 to 9 p.m.

• Wednesday Kings Trivia at KC’s Rib Shack (837 Second St., Manchester, 627-7427, ribshack. net), sponsored by Mi Campo, in Manchester 7 to 9 p.m..

• Wednesday trivia at City Hall Pub (8 Hanover St.; Manchester, 232-3751, snhhg.com) at 7 p.m.

• Wednesday World Tavern Trivia at Fody’s Tavern (9 Clinton St. in Nashua, fodystavern. com, 577-9015) at 8 p.m.

• Second Wednesday of every month trivia at Park Theatre (19 Main St., Jaffrey; 532-9300, theparktheatre.org) at 7:30 p.m.

• Wednesday trivia at Popovers (11 Brickyard Sq., Epping, 7344724, popoversonthesquare.com) from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

7:30 p.m., Jimmy’s in Portsmouth, jimmysoncongress.com

11, 7:30 p.m., BNH Stage in Concord, ccanh.com

• Alison Brown Sunday, June 9, 2 p.m., Rex in Manchester, palacetheatre.org

• Ted Herbert Sunday, June 9, 3 p.m., Majestic in Manchester, majestictheatre.net

• Nick Goumas Quartet Sunday, June 9, 6 p.m., Press Room in Portsmouth, pressroomnh. com

• Frank Vignola’s Birdland Guitar Trio Sunday, June 9,

• David West Sunday, June 9, 1:30 p.m., Averill House in Brookline, averillhousevineyard.com

CITIZenS BAnD

The Ted Herbert Community Big Band, which is made up of 13- to 19-year-old music students, makes its debut at the Majestic Theatre (880 Page St., Manchester, 6697469, majestictheatre.net) on Sunday, June 9, at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $15 plus fees.

• Ellis Paul Sunday, June 9, 7:30 p.m., Music Hall Lounge in Porstmouth, themusichall.org

• Andy Summers Sunday, June 9, 7:30 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, nashuacenterforthearts. com

• Pixies/Modest Mouse Tuesday, June 11, 7 p.m., BankNH Pavilion in Gilford, banknhpavilion

• Kathy Mattea Tuesday, June

• Keb Mo Tuesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, nashuacenterforthearts.com

• An Enchanted Evening with Barbra Thursday, June 13, 2 p.m., Lakeport Opera House in Laconia, lakeportopera.com

• Hootie & the Blowfish Thursday, June 13, 7 p.m., BankNH Pavilion in Gilford, banknhpavilion.com

KILLeR CoMeDy

New England comedy fans know Stacy Kendro for her sassy, straightforward comedy. Recently she’s stretched into filmmaking with the web series Mob Shorts. She returns to her first love at Headliners (DoubleTree By Hilton, 700 Elm St., Manchester, headlinersnh.com) on Saturday, June 8, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 plus fees.

Dave Russo has made his way up the New England comedy ladder, and he’s made some very funny friends at events like Comics Come Home and on NESN. He’s invited Richie Minervini, Jim Colliton and Tugboat Manny for an appearance at Fulchino Vineyard (187 Pine Hill Road, Hollis, 438-5984, fulchinovineyard. com) on Friday, June 7, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $35 plus fees.

New Girl

across

1. Put ___ to (halt)

6. Argument

10. Racing form info

14. Curmudgeonly sort

15. Suffix with “trillion”

16. Miami team

17. Wrigley brand discontinued in the 1990s but brought back in 2004

19. ___ mortals

20. Concert souvenir

21. ___ seat (enviable position)

23. Dessert with a lattice

24. Bury the ___

25. Believed to be

27. No-cost gift, as some spell it

30. Poly follower?

31. Half a NYC neighborhood?

32. Lawn sign word, maybe

35. “Sure!”

36. Actor Michael of “Ant-Man”

37. Prepared to ride, with “up”

41. Increases the staff

44. Lorna ___ (Nabisco cookie)

45. Tahiti’s capital and largest city

46. Swiss territorial divisions

48. Cinco follower

49. Rainforest inhabitant

50. Chart topper, perhaps

52. Playfully demure

55. Commuted by bus

57. Group that covered “Venus” to hit the 1986 charts

2. “Leaving Las Vegas” actress Elisabeth

3. London subway

4. Spheroid

5. Pill with no intended effect

6. Fried lightly

7. Soft drink that used to have a “Mr.” title

8. Dispute settler

9. Flower named for its fragrance

10. Unit of electrical resistance

11. Suspended animation that’s really cold

12. 1997 Literature Nobelist ___ Fo

13. Take the wheel

18. Part of RBG

22. Love to a fault

24. Directionally named Titleist ball for pro golfers (there’s also a “dash” version)

26. Shape-shifting spirits in Scottish folklore

27. ___ Most Wanted list

28. “Fancy” singer McEntire

29. 1999 Cartoon Network title trio

33. Online tech review site

34. Zap, in a way

59. Carmaker Ransom

60. Suffix after “out”

61. Light show beam

62. “The ___ From Brazil”

63. “While” beginning, once 64. Shell out

Down

1. Eight, in Germany

Last Week’s Answers:

38. “A Strange ___” (Tony-winning musical)

39. Elevate in rank

40. Lose hope

41. Presumptuous one

42. Exultant song

43. Corkscrew shapes

46. Chocolate substitute

47. Speed skater ___ Anton Ohno

51. Super Mario World console, for short

52. Law assignment

53. Sign of impending doom

54. Patio locale

56. Curvy letter

58. Jurassic 5 genre

© 2024 Matt Jones

● 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

Shake your puzzle maker

across

1. ‘You Dropped __ On Me’ Gap Band

6. Low budget recording with tape hiss (hyph)

10. Aerosmith ‘Sick __ Dog’

13. Thornley ‘04 song ‘__ So Good’

14. James “Can’t catch love with __ or a gun”

15. ‘Cocaine’ & ‘After Midnight’ writer JJ

17. UK’s 90s superstars __ Girls

18. ZZ Top “I been up, I been down, take my word, my way around” song

19. ‘90 Edie Brickell album ‘Ghost

Of __’

20. ‘99 Live album ‘__ Here’

23. Rather that hosts Big Interview

24. Arctic Monkeys ‘__ Wanna Know’

25. ‘90 Black Crowes album ‘__ Money maker’

31. Female ‘Break Every Chain’

gospel singer Cobbs Leonard

35. Not likers

36. Prince’s Wendy And __

38. ‘Time Ago’ band Black __

39. New Kids On The Block ‘Put __ My Tab’

40. ‘Comfort Of Strangers’ Beth 42. Coconut Records album about

Monkee Jones?

43. Skip to the __, my darling!

44. Like worst seats

45. Soilent Green ‘Superstition

Aimed __ Skull’

47. ‘98 Pearl Jam album ‘Live __ Legs’

49. ‘14 Walk The Moon album ‘__ Hard’

51. Slipknot ‘The Devil __’

53. Jamaican musician __-A-Mouse

54. ‘97 Yellowcard debut album

61. Paul Westerberg just needs ‘__ Minutes Of Silence’

62. Alan Parsons ‘__ Answer Me’

63. Standing Outside A Broken Phone __ With Money In My Hand

66. First Smashing Pumpkins video

67. Internal Casting Crowns song?

68. Musical based on “Little Orphan” comic strip

69. Beach Boys add a space to ‘Radio King__’ title

70. Led Zep ‘__ Maker’

71. What some did against the machine?

R&R answer from pg 36 of 5/30

Down

1. ‘73 Badfinger album for a donkey

2. Poison ‘Unskinny __’

3. Grateful Dead “Yes I get the gist __, but it’s alright”

4. Presidents Of The United States Of America went ‘__ 5’ in their jet

5. Member of The Breeders?

6. Like Ill Niño

7. David Byrne/Fatboy Slim “Please don’t let them look down __”

8. All-day music concert

9. Tom Petty “Yeah, __ to come in time”

10. Mid-90s Guy Sigsworth band inspired by shrubs?

11. Iconic British Nigerian softrock singer

12. What ‘That Means’ to The Beatles

16. It may be bruised, post-bomb

21. Moody Blues ‘__ Future Passed’

22. Luther Vandross ‘A House Is __ Home’

25. ‘70 Neil Diamond compilation

26. Joe Cocker ‘You Can Leave Your __’

Jonesin’ answer from pg 35 of 5/30

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 37.

27. Megadeth ‘__ Le Monde’

28. ‘Lady’ softrocker Rogers (abbr)

29. Muse ‘MK __’

30. She dances on the sand, to Duran Duran

32. Shins ‘New __’

33. Alice In Chains ‘What The Hell __ __’

34. Slayer ‘Seasons In The __’

37. ‘96 Black Crowes album ‘Three __ And One Charm’

41. Train song about double-crosser?

42. Dokken leader

44. Like excellent band

46. ‘01 John Hiatt album ‘The __ Is Open’

48. Bob Dylan song for a domed Native American dwelling

50. Creem/Rolling Stone critic Bangs

52. The XX “And the music don’t feel like __”

54. More, to rock en espanol band Mana

55. 38 Special ‘__ Been The One’

56. They whipped it, whipped it good

57. Singer Bennett

58. Bruno Mars “You can count __”

59. ‘Lady Marmalade’ singer Hendryx

60. Bang A __ (Get It On)

64. Jon Brion ‘Strings That __ To You’

65. ‘Only In Amerika’ (__) PE

© 2024 Todd Santos

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

Puzzle B

Puzzle C

Puzzle a NiTE

SiGNS Of lifE

All quotes are from O Come Ye Back to Ireland , by Niall Williams, born June 8, 1958.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) We were overwhelmed … and so, unable to decide what to do, we did what all Irish men and women do: we had tea. It might help.

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) Of course we underestimated the community of our neighbors. It’s bigger on the inside.

Leo (July 23 – Aug. 22) Consequently, we focused our attention inward and occupied ourselves with the chores of house and garden. Pick a chore, any chore.

Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 22) In Ireland you cannot expect to open a bank account, get a checkbook, buy a car, insure your car and drive off before the day is dark. Things take time.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) As she later explained to me, there is no exact recipe for [brown bread]. Rather, the measurements are rough Irish: Begin with a pile of plain white flour, add two or three fistfuls of bran, a slice or two of butter that is crumbled into the flour, a tiny palmful of sugar, a teaspoon of bread soda, a pinch of salt and enough buttermilk to make a sticky dough. You learn from experience.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) … I set myself the task of clearing some of the tall pine trees that stand along the roadside in front of the house and block most of the view. Curb appeal works in more than one direction.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 –Dec. 21) The truth turns into a story when it grows old. Tell it.

Capricorn (Dec. 22 –

Jan. 19) In Dublin the weather was a subject of annoyance, but not of concern. Holidays, not livelihoods, were being ruined. It’s different on a farm.

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) Chris had never imagined the rush of activity which would mark the first showing of her paintings in Ireland. What a rush!

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) We were awakened at dawn by the roaring of an angry cow. Better than a beeping alarm?

Aries (March 21 – April 19) There are no cottony soft toilet tissue rolls here, no handy paper napkins, no supersoft fluffy towels. What ever will you do?

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) We concluded our business by further buying a nine-by-twelve foam-backed, inexpensive carpet for the bedroom. The other rooms would have to wait. One thing at a time.

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Clothing Optional

A Virgin Australia flight headed for Melbourne had to return to Perth on May 27 after a man allegedly ran naked down the aisle shortly after takeoff, The Guardian reported. Police said the man also “knocked a crew member to the floor.” One passenger reported “a lot of yelling and screaming” near the cockpit as the man charged forward. The man was pinned to the floor by air marshals; he was then handcuffed and led to the rear of the plane. Federal police met the aircraft on its return to Perth and arrested him. The Guardian, May 28

Enough is Enough

• Lopburi, Thailand, also known as monkey town, has had it up to HERE with about 2,500 marauding macaques terrorizing the townsfolk, the Associated Press reported. As such, on May 24, the town launched the first phase of a plan to catch and remove the monkeys: cages baited with rambutan fruit, their favorite. The problem? The simians are smart: “If some of them go into the cage and are caught, the others outside won’t enter the cage ... because they’ve already learnt what’s happened to their friends,” said Patarapol Maneeorn from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Lopburi’s mayor said that while the mon-

keys bring in tourists, shops and malls have lost income and people’s homes have been damaged. Those that are caught will be sterilized and tattooed so they can be tracked. Then they’ll move to large holding pens, where they’ll await repatriation. AP, May 24

• In Snettisham, Norfolk, in the U.K., it’s feral chickens that are plaguing the town. The flock of 100 or so chickens dig up gardens and are so loud that residents have to use earplugs at night, United Press International reported. The Snettisham Parish Council said it is “seeking specialist advice from various sources,” but some residents object to the idea of moving the chickens away. “They are part of the fabric of the village,” said chicken supporter Rebecca Chilvers. The council invited residents to a meeting to air their opinions. UPI, May 28

fan-atic

Tara Berry of Topeka, Kansas, has secured a Guinness World Record for the most tattoos of the same musician on her body, United Press International reported on May 23. Berry, who sports 18 tattoos of Madonna, said she got the first one in 2016. The inks span the singer’s career. Berry estimated she’s spent nearly $10,000 on them. UPI, May 23

Weird Warfare

The South Korean military announced on May 29 that it had found 260 balloons that had drifted across the demilitarized zone between it and North Korea, The New York Times reported. The balloons were carrying bags full of ... trash, such as cigarette butts, used shoes and compost. The bags were reportedly released according to timers attached to the balloons. “We issue a stern warning to North Korea to stop this anti-humanitarian and dirty operation,” South Korea warned. But North Korea pledged to send more to exercise its “freedom of expression.” New York Times, May 29

it’s Nice To Have a Hobby

For 10 years, residents of North Enid Avenue in Azusa, California, have been putting up with a pesky nuisance: a serial slingshot shooter. The New York Times reported that people would find broken windows on their cars or homes and little ball bearings strewn about. “Many times I came outside, and I would find little BBs by the front door,” said Monica Palomino. Finally, police have nabbed the vandal: 81-year-old Prince Raymond King, who also lives on the block. Azusa Police Cpl. Benjamin Cypher said several recent incidents had allowed them to narrow their search down to King’s address,

where they found the slingshot and ball bearings. “We’re not aware of any kind of motive other than just malicious mischief,” Lt. Jake Bushey said. King was ordered to stay away from his neighborhood and return to court on June 17. He pleaded not guilty. New York Times, May 29

awesome!

• Ulysses Whitfield, 85, retired this week from driving a school bus for Suffolk (Virginia) Public Schools, WAVY-TV reported. Over his 70-year career (yep, you read that right), he took only two half-days off. “During that time, students could drive,” Whitfield said of the beginning of his career in 1954. He delivered students through changes in technology and racial upheaval, he said, “But it was smooth with me, though. I didn’t have any problems with the kids at all. Respect the kids, and you will receive respect from them.” Whitfield plans to come back part-time in the fall to train his replacement “to make sure the run is done nice and smooth, like I was doing it. I have good kids. I’m going to miss them, I know it.” WAVY, May 30

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

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