Around Concord Winter 2018/2019

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CONTENTS

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WINTER 2018/2019

CONCORD

VOLUME 11, NO . 4

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Features 38

Celebrate the Season The Concord community spreads holiday cheer.

42 A New Englander’s Winter Style Guide

BY HANNAH SAMPADIAN

4

38 58 A Small Town Discovers Its Black History

BY RAY CARBONE

Looking good while staying warm.

Shedding light on Warner’s—and the state’s— rural African-American residents.

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Ensconced in Winter’s Serenity

Our Gold-Leaf Dome

BY LISA BALLARD

BY JOHN GFROERER

Jackson XC offers a unique and traditional New England experience.

Polishing the old girl for her 200th birthday in 2019.

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CONTENTS

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WINTER 2018/2019

CONCORD

VOLUME 11, NO . 4

24 16

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30 www.aroundconcord.com

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30

Editor’s Note

The Arts

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70

Contributors

Calendar

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72

Personal Essay

Last Word

BY JOHN GFROERER

16 Neighborhood Profile

BY KATHLEEN M . FORTIN

20 Health & Well-Being

BY SHANTI DOUGLAS

24 Food & Spirits

Like Omer, the words reached back to another time, another era of living. An artifact that could be on display in some historical society museum. page 12

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On the cover WARMTH , COLOR , AND LIGHT , KEY HYGGE COMPONENTS .

WINTER 2018/2019

VOLUME 11, NO . 4

Around

CONCORD community • culture• lifestyle

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Correspondence may be addressed to the publisher at 1 Monitor Drive, Concord, NH 03301. Or email the editor at: editor@ aroundconcord.com. Advertising inquires may be made by email to editor@aroundconcord.com. Around Concord is published quarterly by Monitor Publishing Company © 2018/2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly prohibited. Around Concord accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork, or photographs.

EDITOR ' S NOTE |

BY JAMES BUCHANAN

Winter’s

Parrish Blue L

ast winter the most remarkable thing happened.

In early December we received about a foot of snow and then for the next four weeks—maybe a bit longer—the temperature never floated much above 15 degrees; most days it hovered around zero. The air was dry and abundantly clear and sharp against the back of the throat. And as the arc of sunlight shifted through the day—and with the moon in the evening and night—the effect was brilliant.

Each day I’d go to trails near my home, packed by the few people who run, bike, and walk them so that the snow was solid, yet due to the dry air, spongy. Gone were the many rocks that make the trails look like dry creek beds. Instead, it was a smooth, narrow lane winding through hardwoods and conifer stands.

Because the sun set early as we approached the winter solstice, my runs were lit by an incredible, fading butternut light that shifted to a soft purplish red that, again, as night came on, deepened into what could only be described as a Maxfield Parrish blue. The moonlight rising up from the east lit the snow and by the end of my run, the world was transformed.

In January, as winter is wont to do in New Hampshire, the weather turned, and the temperature floated above 20 and then 30 degrees. The snow softened and dissipated, it rained for a few days, then a couple weeks of snowstorms followed by the fading of winter in March. The air and countryside didn’t return to the Parrish blue. But hopefully, it will again in a few weeks.

If like me you enjoy such weather, then I imagine you enjoy returning to a warm home with family and projects and time beneath the covers reading. We hope that this winter’s issue provides some food for thought and a few good reads.

John Gfroerer writes of Omer Marcoux’s oft complaint, la grippe. Shanti Douglas describes how she creates a sense of emotional hygge during winter. Ray Carbone tells a local black history story that perhaps most in our area know little about. Lisa Ballard takes us on a beautiful cross-country skiing adventure in Jackson. And Hillary Nelson describes winter’s cornucopia—found at local winter farmers’ markets—and shares a few recipes to warm any belly after a day in snowy woods.

Of course, there’s more. So please, read on, enjoy, and if you have a moment let us know if you have a story to share with us.

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CONTRIBUTORS

LISA BALLARD

HANNAH SAMPADIAN

SHANTI DOUGLAS

Lisa Ballard is the author of seven books including Hiking the White Mountains (FalconGuides) and Best Hikes with Dogs: New Hampshire & Vermont (The Mountaineers Books).

A professional skier, she lived in New Hampshire for most of her adult life and has both alpine and Nordic skied throughout the state and much of the world. See more of Lisa's work at www.LisaBallardOutdoors.com.

Hannah Sampadian is a copy editor and paginator at the Concord Monitor, as well as a contributing writer and editor for several of the publication’s magazines. Born and raised in New Hampshire’s capital city, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, and doing anything outdoors. Hannah is a 2016 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Shanti Douglas is a Mindfulness and Stress Resiliency Coach, corporate trainer, owner of 8 limbs Holistic Health, LLC in Concord, and author of Everyday Ease: Mindfully Moving from Burnout to Balance. Shanti’s mission is to share practices that create lasting ease, balance, and personal empowerment to each day, especially those that feel challenging. Learn more at www.8limbsholistichealth.com.

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JOHN GFROERER

LAURA POPE

RAY CARBONE

John Gfroerer is the owner of Accompany, a video production company based at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord.

He has produced more than 40 documentaries, which have been seen on Maine and New Hampshire Public Television stations. Currently he is working on a documentary about New Hampshire composer Amy Beach. He is also a writer whose work appears regularly in Around Concord magazine.

Laura Pope is a career arts and travel writer who writes for magazines, newspapers, and books. She also served as the launch editor of the original, award-winning New Hampshire Home magazine, and contributes to many publications including the Montreal Gazette and National Geographic Traveler. She has authored three books about Portsmouth: Portsmouth (2007), Portsmouth Women (2013), and Becoming Portsmouth (2017).

Ray Carbone's byline has appeared on a variety of media platforms including National Public Radio, Boston Globe/Boston.com, New Hampshire Magazine, Cape Cod Times, New Hampshire Public Radio/NHPR.org, and KQED-FM/ San Francisco Public Radio. Ray has also authored three books. Ray moved to New Hampshire in the 1970s and in 2015 he and his wife moved to Warner. He may never leave. Ever.

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PERSONAL ESSAY |

BY JOHN GFROERER

La Grippe OMER MARCOUX’S REMEDY FOR WINTER

It was from an old-time French-Canadian fiddler that I first heard the term la grippe. Some of you who have lived in Concord for a while may remember him, Omer Marcoux. For many years he worked at St. Paul’s School. But when I got to know him he was in his eighties, had retired, and was pursuing other passions, like fiddling.

One winter day I called him about something and he told me he wasn’t feeling well. “I got that grip,” was how he summed it up. I can still hear his

voice, deep and a bit rough with heavy remnants of French Canada accenting every word. “I got that grip.”

In Omer’s view, nothing more needed to be said to describe the ailments laying him low for the moment. For me, it was a new term that even without asking I understood the meaning of instantly.

Like Omer, the words reached back to another time, another era of living. An artifact that could be on display in some historical society museum. And though I heard the grip, the term was actually la grippe.

“I got la grippe.”

Omer passed away in 1982. But like one of his wood carvings, his phrase still hangs around. And now, I get la grippe myself once in a while, usually during those chilly winter

It renders you almost useless, forcing you into servitude, bowing to its supremacy over your world.

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months. Not quite the flu, it’s more a cold that just lingers a bit longer than a cold used to. I attribute it to getting older and being in a body that isn’t quite as quick as it once was about chasing away ailments.

Like the cold air outside on a winter’s day, la grippe grabs you and hangs there, an oppression you can’t shake or do anything about except wait it out. It renders you almost useless, forcing you into servitude, bowing to its supremacy over your world.

There are no flu shots that I know of to inoculate against la grippe. It either grabs you or it doesn’t. But when it takes hold, you know—you’ve got that grippe. Rest, maybe some chicken soup, lots of liquids, and eventually it will let go. Endurance is not a cure but does provide the proper state of mind for getting through.

There really are no other options. To fight back will just prolong the occupation.

In a way, it’s kind of like winter itself, a grippe that takes hold and there is no real option except to wait things out, knowing that eventually there will be an end.

Oh, I know, the sky can still be blue. And sunlight reflected off fresh snow can give

Serving New Hampshire since 1960 Installation & Service Left to right: Sylvia Miskoe (accordian), Justine Paul (bass), and Omer Marcoux (fiddle) at a bimonthly fiddle session at a local restaurant, Winter 16, 1980.

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PERSONAL ESSAY

Cover of Fiddle Tunes of Omer Marcoux from 1980.

La grippe might lay him low, but not the grippe of winter. His fiddle could melt snow, melt ice, melt the darkness at 5pm, and fill any room with warmth.

Left to right: Sylvia Miskoe (accordian), Justine Paul (bass), and Omer Marcoux (fiddle) at the autograph party, May 16, 1980. Photo by Bob LaPree.

Sheet music of one of Omer Marcoux's favorite tunes, Beatrice, adapted from Le Reel Béatrice.

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the air a brilliance not attainable on the brightest of summer days. But when the sun is gone for the day and it is not even 5pm, and it’s cold, and the sidewalk is covered in ice . . . well, that is when we are all in winter’s grippe.

These were the kind of days when Omer would head out with his fiddle and make music someplace. He had a stable of musicians who were happy to tag along and provide accompaniment. There was Amy Jobin on the piano, Justine Paul on bass, and Sylvia Miskoe on accordion. In restaurants around Concord they would liven

up the lunch hour on a winter’s day. Omer would go through a repertoire of tunes from his native Quebec, often singing along as he played them on his fiddle.

La grippe might lay him low, but not the grippe of winter. His fiddle could melt snow, melt ice, melt the darkness at 5pm, and fill any room with warmth.

“La la laa la la laa, la la laaaaa.”

I hear him now. Singing, scratching the bow against the strings of his fiddle as snow falls outside. Immune, for the moment, to anything that might put him in la grippe.

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NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE |

BY KATHLEEN M . FORTIN

“At Hatbox, actors can be and not act.”

Andrew Pinard at the Hatbox Theatre. Photo by Geoff Forester.

A Furtive Glance and the Slight Tilt of a Woman’s Lips . . .

ANDREW PINARD’S HATBOX THEATRE CREATES AN INTIMATE STAGE EXPERIENCE For Andrew Pinard, live theater is best when it is close. A resident of Bradford, Andrew is the owner, creator, and driving force behind Concord’s Hatbox Theatre. Founded in 2016, the theater is a venue for stage productions, musicals, comedy acts, and magic shows.

For more than 25 years, Andrew had wanted to build a theater and had searched for just the right place. His longstanding vision to own and run a venue for live performances was rooted in a desire to offer audiences and actors an intimate space to enjoy the theater arts.

The Hatbox took over a retail space at

Steeplegate Mall that had been occupied by the women’s clothier Coldwater Creek. Andrew saw great potential in the small store.

Once the deal was signed, a large team of volunteers undertook the retrofitting process, including installing raked theater seating and building a technical room to operate the controls for an extensive lighting and sound grid. The former ladies’ fitting rooms were adopted for use as the actors’ dressing rooms.

When I visited the Hatbox Theatre, I saw costumes hanging on several of the dressing room doors. A neat gray suit on one, a wedding dress on another. The original checkout counter is the ticket sales counter and concession stand. The center of the room, where racks of ladies’ clothes were once displayed, is now the main stage, flanked by 100 theater seats.

Out back, Hatbox’s office is small. On its shelves are 2,000 scripts, booklets that look like the shape and size of my high school CliffsNotes. This collection started when Andrew was a theater major in college. His eyes light up when he says he would love to produce many of them.

The building of sets requires a large area, so Hatbox rents another former retail space, the old Radio Shack store.

The Hatbox took over a retail space at Steeplegate Mall that had been occupied by the women’s clothier Coldwater Creek. Andrew saw great potential in the small store.

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hatboxnh.com

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They call it “the shack,” which also makes for a handy rehearsal space.

“IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME” Andrew’s vision was to create a cooperative, intimate venue for stage producers, many of whom might not have other opportunities to show their work. The Hatbox offers a ready-made place to perform.

In a way, the operation is a stage broker.

Right from the start, word of the enterprise spread rapidly. It’s a perfect example of the adage, “If you build it, they will come.” But how do they get producers to come?

Andrew adapted what he calls Pitch Night, based on a similar event at The Players’ Ring in Portsmouth (one of the main sources of inspiration for the Hatbox). This is shared with potential producers through social media, recruitment, and word of mouth. Detailed submissions describing the project—whether a play, musical, or other—are required. Each submission is then reviewed through a protocol Andrew developed. He and his team read the proposals and discuss the artistic merits. Their guiding principle is high quality productions.

Hatbox has not had a lack of submissions, something that makes Andrew feel proud and humbled. In 2016, the theater’s inaugural year, there were slots for 13 shows. He was excited when he received several more pitches than slots.

This year, he and his review team of 14 experts screened pitches from 50 production companies to fill 23 slots. Andrew admits it is hard to choose. Additionally, these groups have such positive experiences, that many wish to return.

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NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE

Hatbox Theatre produced the Tony awardwinning musical BARNUM in the summer of 2017. Photo by Nora Lindsay McBurnett.

production of the musical BARNUM, including Lead Actress will be acting (for the first time in many years) in Invasion (Sheree Owens), Best Costume Design (Lynn Head), Best Direcfrom Mars at the Hatbox. But his day job is performing as a tor (Bryan Halperin), and Best Musical. The statue for Best Mumagician, through his business Absolutely Magic. His sleightsical is displayed on a fireplace mantle, a set piece located in the of-hand show, Discovering Magic, can be found monthly at theater lobby. With it are a Vision and Tenacity award presented the Hatbox, as well as other performances throughout New to Andrew and a Best Original Play award (won by Hatbox lead- England. One of his favorite acts is playing the 19th century, er Kevin Barrett, prior to his time with Hatbox).

Boston-born magician Jonathan Harrington, which he presents The musical BARNUM traces the career of P.T. Barnum, the annually at Canterbury Shaker Village. famous circus owner, also known as the Greatest Showman on Andrew’s talent for magic was partially inspired by a family Earth. Known for creating the first three-ring circus—dancing friend, Uncle Ace (Ace Gorham), which led Andrew to perform elephants in one ring, acrobats and trampolines in a second, his first magic show in second grade. It is clear, at almost 50 clowns in a third—P.T. Barnum and Andrew appear to have years old, Andrew still cannot get enough of the theater arts. something in common.

Andrew orchestrates many aspects of owning A DIFFERENT KIND OF MAGIC and running the theater: handling technical lightIt is a source of great pride and excitement that ing and design, reading the scripts submitted by Andrew has succeeded in achieving his vision prospective producers, programming and other in only a few years. Describing the Hatbox’s graphic design work, and managing operations uniqueness, Andrew’s enthusiasm shines. If you such as ticket sales, scheduling, and maintaining can picture a typical retail store, you can imagthe facility. With help from Kevin Barrett—who ine how small the Hatbox stage and seating area Hatbox Theatre hosts and assists with programming and public are. This is what Andrew wanted, a setting that 270 Loudon Road relations—and host/stage manager Meredith Potoffers a close experience, where both audience Concord, NH ter, there are many other volunteers who lend a and actors can see faces and respond to micro(603) 715-2315 HATBOXNH.COM hand to keep the Hatbox going strong. expressions. Andrew is passionate about this Andrew also has his own stage career. He idea and says the environment adds a level of

MORE INFORMATION AND PITCH INSTRUCTIONS:

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hatboxnh.com

energy that one has to witness to fully appreciate. brow. I saw tears form in the eyes of one woman rejected by a No microphones are used. Instead, actors’ voices are unaltered, lover, her red lipstick neatly applied. Their voices were natural and or authentic. Andrew told me that he loves to see an audience hold near, a desirable effect. Compared to amplified surround sound, their breath in response to an actor who holds his. This emotional it was as if they were talking directly to me. The play was full of symmetry is not always possible in a large theater’s mezzanine, emotion as it depicted several couples’ challenges—same-sex marwhere the audience is unable to make out the actors’ faces. “At riage, childlessness, and marital affairs. Whether funny, touching, Hatbox,” he says, “actors can be and not act.” or serious, the actors felt like friends, even family. Andrew is right!

All of this is possible on a stage that measures only 20 feet wide There is nothing like this small theater, and I had to see it to apby 24 feet deep, comparable to a good-sized family room. By com- preciate it. parison, Concord’s Capital Center for the Arts seats around 1,100.

If Love/Sick is a sample of the quality of other Hatbox plays, I The Concord City Auditorium (the Audi) seats 875. cannot wait to return. After Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Amahl I experienced the sense of intimacy Andrew described during and the Night Visitor, it will be difficult to choose from upcoming a Sunday afternoon performance of Love/Sick (written by John shows, like Fade by Greg Parker and Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Cariani of Almost Maine fame). Directed by Bryan Halperin, the There are many more choices through the current season, which play was presented in eight vignettes. During certain scenes, my runs through August 2019. second-row seat placed me very close to the actors. At center stage, For production companies looking to submit a pitch, the next the actors were approximately 20 feet from me. At times they were deadline is March 4, 2019. I have a feeling the competition will less than 10. While I had not experienced this kind of theater becontinue to increase. fore, the proximity provided a unique sense that I was not watchThe excitement of adding new productions is something Aning actors on a stage, but rather that we were together in the same drew does not seem to grow tired of. He loves to stand in the settings. A kitchen, a bedroom, a front yard, and a supermarket. back of the theater and watch the audience reactions as the artists SRB-map-ArndConc-half0218.qxp_SRB-map-ArndConc-half0218 Page 1their talent. As Andrew says, “That’s the real magic!”

I could see fresh stubble on one actor’s chin and sweat2/8/18 on his10:12 AMstretch

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HEALTH & WELL- BEING |

BY SHANTI DOUGLAS

|

BY SHANTI DOUGLAS

Next Stop:

Hibernationville PACK WELL FOR WINTER’S JOURNEY TO CREATE EMOTIONAL HYGGE

Have you ever taken a road trip across country or backpacked through Europe? Besides a sense of adventure, one of the most important ingredients in a successful trip is being smart about what you bring with you.

You don’t want to overpack and drag along unnecessary items that will get in your way and be burdensome (a coffee maker, for instance). You also don’t want to forget those items that are necessary and that will fill your travels with ease and a sense of comfort (think: your favorite fuzzy blanket). Not too much. Not too little. As Goldilocks knew, pack enough to ensure your conditions will be just right.

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UNLOAD EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE NOW As the seasons change and New England winter fast approaches, it’s important to pack well for this year’s lengthy trip to Hibernationville. There are some bright spots there— sunshine reflecting off fresh snow and cozy winter evenings with friends or curled up with mulled cider and a movie.

But for the most part, Hibernationville is a place that’s cold and dark. Even for those who love winter and its many joys, expansive and high-energy movement can feel awkward and the pace of life inside and out slows down. For those of us who find winter long and taxing, this is especially true.

In preparation, you want to bring the right gear to match these distinct conditions so that you’re as comfortable and healthy as possible, fully energized to meet spring when

it finally arrives. While it’s easy to identify the physical pieces of equipment that support these conditions of hibernation, we often forget about the emotional component. We don’t prepare for what we’ll be emotionally bedding down with. And unless we address this important travel consideration now, habits that have us feeling worried, disheveled, overwhelmed, frustrated, and otherwise triggered will remain steady companions.

Hibernationville is filled with a lot of quiet time for introspection, so befriending what we bring along on our trip is important.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend a lot of cold cave time hunkering down with the residual pain from a lost love.

Reconciling and releasing as much as possible of this now will free up a lot of emotional space over the coming months.

While it’s easy to identify the physical pieces of equipment that support these conditions of hibernation, we often forget about the emotional component.

YOUR PACKING LIST Look around as you begin to pack for your trip: What unresolved conflicts or challenges are still poking at you and creating tension?

What thought patterns have you doubting yourself or distancing you from ease?

Conversely, what inspirations and sources of happiness do you have in your life that would be nourishing to maintain such as friendships, activities, and self-care routines?

Determine your must-bring and must-leave lists now so that the darker days of winter are focused on the brightness and light. To start this positive packing process, take a few moments every day to pause and feel your heart. Ask: How can I create more ease and smiles for myself?

How can this time of year be filled with cozy, hygge-like comforts and nourishing norms?

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HEALTH & WELL- BEING Y

SHANTI DOUGLAS

What need is not being met that could really make a difference in how I experience these next few months?

Listen to the intuitive messages of self-care you receive, and then act to fulfill them: Can you start to invigorate patience as a daily practice, knowing that impatience feeds your need to control and interrupts important connection in relationships?

What personal boundaries might you begin to establish with others so that you daily just-for-me space is available for fun and creative projects that really feed your soul?

Is there a chance to have that reconciling conversation with Uncle Harry before he comes over for a holiday celebration?

With holiday activities, do you tend to overburden yourself out of guilt or tradition, afraid to change it up and say, No, not this year?

Would unplugging from electronics one day a week provide a source of refuge?

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Now is the time to be discerning about what you’ll be packing, being kind in the letting go of things that are too heavy. Wish them well and focus on the lightness, giving yourself the time and opportunity to smartly expend your energy on that which directly supports your personal care, heart warmth, and ease. As we know, New England winters are tough, so let’s move beyond mere survival and into revitalizing rest.

SHANTI’S NEW BOOK For more information and support for living every day with greater ease and balance, regardless of the season, check out Shanti’s new book, Everyday Ease: Mindfully Moving from Burnout to Balance. It’s available at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord or online at Amazon.

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FOOD & SPIRITS

SLOW ROASTED GARLIC BEEF Serves 6–8

3½–4 lb inexpensive beef roast, such as a round or chuck 1 head garlic, broken into cloves and peeled 1–2 Tbsp kosher salt or coarse sea salt 2 Tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter 1. If possible, the day before cooking, sprinkle salt generously all over the beef, place it on a few layers of paper towels on a plate, cover it lightly with more paper towels, and place it in the refrigerator. This dry-brining process helps to keep the meat moist when it cooks.

Winter’s

2. When ready to cook the meat, preheat the oven to 250°. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, puree the garlic with a few teaspoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Set aside.

Cornucopia

3. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining oil. Brown the beef well on all sides in the skillet. When the beef is browned, place it on a clean plate and rub it all over with the garlic paste.

AN ECLECTIC, LOCALLY SOURCED MENU FROM OUR WINTER FARMERS’ MARKETS

BY HILLARY NELSON

C

ooking with local ingredients can be a challenge in winter, but not an impossibility.

Head to one of the winter farmers’ markets in the area and you will find meat, root vegetables, and cold-season greens, all grown on nearby farms. And though foods grown by small-scale farmers can be pricier than their factory-farmed equivalents, they are fresher, taste better, and help support open spaces and our regional economy.

That said, keep a few things in mind when cooking with ingredients from the winter farmers’ market. For starters, it’s great to know that the meat you purchase from a nearby farm was humanely raised, but that also means that these animals spent a lot of time walking around grazing and foraging. So, the same muscles free-range animals develop remain soft and mushy in factoryfarmed animals. As a savvy chef, you must remember that factoryfarmed animals cook up easy to chew, while free-range meat cooked quickly will be tough. Cooking low and slow is key when preparing locally raised, grass-fed, free-range meat, whether it’s beef, lamb, pork, or poultry.

Slow Roasted Garlic Beef is a wonderful recipe I use to cook cuts of beef from Miles Smith Farm in Loudon, run by my neighbor Carol Soule, who has done so much to promote the local food economy. But it works just as well with a cheaper cut from the supermarket if that’s what’s in your budget.

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4. Place the beef on a rack then put the rack on a sheet tray and place in the oven. Cook the beef for about an hour, or until it registers 115° in the center. When testing the temperature, remove the beef from the oven and close the door so the oven retains its heat.

5. When the meat is 115°, return it to the oven and turn the oven off. Leave the meat in the oven until it registers 130° in the center, about a half hour longer depending on the size of the roast.

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6. Remove the meat from the oven, place a tent of aluminum foil over it, and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before slicing as thinly as possible, across the grain. The meat may also be refrigerated and served cold.

ROOT VEGETABLE HUMMUS Makes about 1½ cups ½ cup almonds or walnuts 3 small beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, or other root vegetable, roasted or microwaved until tender, then peeled and grated (about 1 cup)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil Juice of 1 small lemon (about 2 Tbsp) 1 Tbsp tahini

2 small cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

The leaves from several sprigs of parsley, mint, and dill, minced (about 1 tablespoon total)

1 tsp ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until it becomes a slightly chunky puree. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve with Winter Squash Tortillas.

1 cup dried locally grown dried beans such as cranberry, pinto, or any other medium-sized dried bean, cleaned and soaked in water overnight, or brought to a boil and soaked one hour 1 medium onion, peeled and minced (about 1 cup) 1 Tbsp flour 3 Tbsp tomato paste 3 cups of water 1 tsp salt (or to taste) 5 cloves of garlic Juice of 1 large or 2 small lemons Hot red pepper paste, for garnish (optional) 1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot and then sauté the onion over medium-low heat until it is translucent. Stir in the flour (if using) and cook, stirring for 1 or 2 minutes; do not let the mixture brown. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.

O

ne of the best things to happen to small farms over the past 10 or so years is the immense popularity of the summer farmers’ market. It seems that nearly every community with a town green or sizable parking lot has one.

Perhaps the second-best thing to happen to small farms is the addition of winter farmers’ markets in a number of communities across the state and region. Depending on the market, you can find a range of root vegetables, baked items, canned fruits and vegetables, seafood, beef, poultry, pork, jams, fiber arts, and craft items.

Concord is lucky to have not just one but four nearby:

LOCALLY GROWN DRIED BEANS WITH GARLIC, LEMON, AND OLIVE OIL

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Winter Farmers’ Markets Near Concord

2. Stir in the beans and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the water, turn the heat up to bring the liquid to a boil, and then turn the heat to low.

Cover the pot and cook the beans slowly until tender. This will take anywhere from a half hour to two hours depending upon how old and dry the beans are.

3. When the beans are fairly tender, add the salt (adding the salt too early toughens the bean skins). Stir in the garlic and lemon juice, return the lid to the pot, and continue to cook for 10 or 15 minutes until the beans are very soft.

4. Taste and then add additional salt or lemon juice if desired. Drizzle with hot red pepper paste if desired. Serve immediately. The beans will keep well for one or two days in the refrigerator or may be frozen.

Cole Gardens Winter Farmers’ Market Cole Gardens 430 Loudon Road, Concord Every Saturday from November 3 to April 21, 10am to 1:30pm

Contoocook Farmers’ Market Hopkinton Town Hall 330 Main Street, Hopkinton Every Saturday from November 3 through May 25, 10am to 1pm

Danbury Grange Winter Farmers’ Market Blazing Star Grange 15 North Road, Danbury First Saturday of each month beginning November 3 to April 6, 9am to 1pm

Henniker Community Market Henniker Community Center 57 Main Street, Henniker Thursdays from November through May, 4 to 7pm

WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

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FOOD & SPIRITS

Most of these recipes rely on root vegetables, the staple of the winter larder. In the old days, New Englanders harvested potatoes, carrots, beets, parsnips—and anything else that grows underground—in the fall and then popped them into cool storage below the frost line in root cellars.

Today’s farmers do the same on a grand scale. Thus, root vegetables and a few squash varieties are abundant at local winter farmers’ markets and can be used interchangeably in the following recipes.

Other local ingredients that are easily found—or grown in your own cold-frame—in winter include cold-tolerant greens such as spinach, Mâche, beet greens, and certain lettuces and herbs. These recipes are based on local ingredients available in winter. Yes, you will have to hit the grocery store for basics such as flour, olive oil, sugar, salt, and spices. But the building blocks of the recipes can come from your own garden or the winter farmers’ market up the road.

BORSCHT

1 tsp kosher or sea salt (or to taste)

Serves 6–8

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 Tbsp oil, such as sunflower 2 lb very meaty beef shanks (or other meaty beef soup bones) 1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped 2–3 large carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped, divided 1 qt beef, chicken, or vegetable stock, preferably homemade 1 qt water 16 oz canned tomatoes, chopped (use juice and tomatoes) 4 cups sliced red cabbage (about ½ lb) 2 medium beets, peeled and grated (about ¾ lb) 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp dill seed and 1 tsp fennel seed, ground together in a spice grinder 1 bay leaf 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 cup hard apple cider or 1 scant cup sweet cider with 1 Tbsp cider vinegar added 3 medium waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

Sour cream or yogurt and chopped fresh dill, for serving (optional) 1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot then add the beef shanks and brown well on both sides. Remove the shanks and set aside, then add the onion and half of the carrots. Brown these well, too, adjusting the heat if necessary so the bottom of the pot doesn’t blacken.

2. When the vegetables are browned around the edges, add the stock and water and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot so the caramelized juices mix into the liquid. Return the beef shanks to the pot, bring it to a simmer, turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and allow the mixture to cook for about 1½ hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone and tender. During this time, occasionally remove the lid and scoop off any foam and excess fat that has accumulated on top of the stock and discard it.

3. When the meat is tender, remove it and the bones and set aside. Pour the stock through a strainer to remove the carrots and onion. Discard the vegetables.

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4. At this point, the meat and bones can be returned to the stock and the mixture can be chilled in an ice bath and then refrigerated overnight before finishing the borscht the following day. If this is done, remove the coagulated fat from the top of the stock and discard it before continuing with the recipe. If continuing straight on with the recipe, try to remove some of the fat floating on the stock before continuing.

5. Pull or cut the shank meat into chunks.

Put the stock in a large soup pot and add to it the remaining carrot, tomatoes, cabbage, beets, garlic, dill and fennel, bay leaf, paprika, and cider. Place a lid on the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove the lid and continue simmering until the beets are beginning to get tender, about a half hour. Add the potatoes, salt, and pepper and continue simmering until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

6. The soup can be served immediately, but it is even better if cooled and refrigerated overnight. Reheat if necessary, then divide between soup bowls. Garnish each with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt and a hefty sprinkling of chopped fresh dill.

Serve immediately.

www.aroundconcord.com

WINTER GREENS SALAD WITH CHICKPEA YOGURT SAUCE

WINTER SQUASH TORTILLAS

Makes about 1 cup of sauce

3 cups flour

FOR THE WINTER GREENS: Mixed winter greens such as lettuce, spinach, tatsoi, baby kale, etc., 1 good handful per person, washed and dried FOR THE SAUCE: 1–2 cloves garlic, chopped (or to taste) ½ tsp salt Juice of one lemon (or more to taste) ¼ cup tahini Water, as needed 1 cup cooked chickpeas (canned is fine, but rinse them first) ½ tsp ground cumin ½ tsp sweet paprika ¼ tsp hot ground red pepper (optional) ½ cup plain yogurt (can be low or full fat)

1 cup whole-wheat flour 1 tsp salt 3 Tbsp cold butter ½ cup pureed winter squash 1. Mash the garlic with the salt. In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic mixture, salt, lemon juice, and tahini and a few tablespoons of water.

Pulse briefly until the mixture becomes homogenous, fairly thick and white. If necessary, add more water and pulse again. Add the chickpeas and pulse until smooth. Add the spices and yogurt and pulse again. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.

2. Serve the sauce and salad separately.

Allow diners to drizzle their greens with the sauce, as desired.

½ cup or more water 1. Combine the first four ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until well combined. Add the squash and pulse.

Finally, add sufficient water to make a soft but not sticky ball of dough. Remove dough and knead on a counter until smooth.

Divide into about 2 dozen small balls, cover with plastic wrap, and rest at least ½ hour.

2. Roll the balls on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin until very thin and about 8 inches across.

3. Cook on a hot griddle, a minute or two per side, just until small brown spots form.

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Chef Dionne looks forward to welcoming you back.

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WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

27

FOOD & SPIRITS

The

Relaxed Host MAYBE LET SOMEONE ELSE DO THE WORK FOR YOUR NEXT SOIRÉE

BY SHERRY FERNS

LESS STRESS Big events come with some stress for the host. A caterer can help destress the whole situation since the team takes over several tasks. Need decorations put up? Want the cooking and food prep taken care of by experts? Wouldn’t table service during the meal be nice? These are all things a professional catering company can handle, leaving you time and energy to welcome your guests and fully enjoy the evening with them.

NO CLEANUP Who wants to end the night after a fun party cleaning a kitchen?! When you hire a food caterer, not only will they cook and serve the food but they will also clean up afterward. You can say goodbye to your last guest and then relax after your event instead of scrubbing dishes.

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PHOTO BY KATE FLEMING

P

erhaps the only thing better than pulling together a warm, social winter meal comprised of local products and foods is one where you play host and someone else does the work. Yes, there are those of us who love diving into a whole pumpkin to turn it into something magnificent. But sometimes it’s nice to let a skilled kitchen auteur create and then clean up the mess.

Here are a few things to consider when thinking maybe, just this once, a catered meal and party might be a nice change.

ALL THE DETAIL S Caterers do much more than just bring the food and drinks to your event.

A catering service brings all the little details together to create not only a lovely atmosphere but a great experience overall. From the way the napkins are folded and presented to the tiny little garnishes in your guests’ drinks, the professionals take care of all details from A to Z. AN EVENT TO REMEMBER With the above in mind, great food and service make a lasting impression. They enhance the elegance of your home and soiree and can help make it an even more memorable event. The memory of the food and service provides a continued opportunity for guests to fondly recall the magical experience you provided them.

Sherry Ferns is director of sales and marketing at Duprey Hospitality and Catering by Design.

cateringbydesignnh.com

Dining Out In & Around Concord

DINING GUIDE

Alan’s of Boscawen

Granite Restaurant & Bar

133 N. Main Street, Rte. 3, Boscawen, NH (603) 753-6631 www.alansofboscawen.com

96 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH (603) 227-9000 www.graniterestaurant.com A popular dining and socializing spot among Concord locals, our awardwinning Granite Restaurant & Bar is a beautifully styled, modern eatery.

Our talented culinary team brings creative sensibility to a sleek dining space enhanced with contemporary spirit and warm service. Using locally sourced ingredients at every opportunity, Chef Daniel Dionne infuses New American cuisine with French, Mediterranean, and Asian influences.

Alan’s of Boscawen, a family-owned restaurant, has been a local favorite in the Concord area for over 25 years providing great food, catering, and dining experiences.

Featuring live entertainment Fri & Sat 8:30pm–12am.

Open daily, including breakfast Sat & Sun.

Revival Kitchen & Bar 11 Depot Street, Concord, NH (603) 715-5723 www.revivalkitchennh.com @revivalkitchennh Casual upscale dining with farm to table influence. Reviving Old World classic dishes using local meats, produce, and dairy. Unique and classic cocktails and every wine available by the glass.

Open Tue–Thu 4–9pm, Fri–Sat 4–10pm; closed Sun & Mon.

Makris Lobster & Steak House Route 106, Concord, NH (603) 225-7665 www.eatalobster.com An experience you wont forget! Enjoy fresh seafood and steak at an affordable price. Comfortable setting for all ages.

Banquets and catering available!

Open Tue–Sun, 11am–9pm (8pm on Sun)

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse/Sushi Bar & Lounge 118 Manchester Street, Concord, NH (603) 223-3301 www.ichibanconcord.com Ichiban features 12 hibachi grills where meals are prepared in front of you, a Japanese sushi bar, and the Koi Lounge with HD TVs. Happy Hour is Sun–Thu 4–6pm with $2 drafts, half-price appetizers, and cocktails!

Vibes Gourmet Burgers 25 S. Main Street, Concord, NH (603) 856-8671 www.vibesgourmetburgers.com Our handcrafted burgers start with Open Prairie Natural Angus®.

Raised on ranches and 100% vegetarian fed, this fresh, premiumquality beef contains no added hormones, antibiotics, or artificial ingredients. Our signature brioche buns are baked fresh daily.

Mon–Thu 11:30am–8pm, Fri 11:30am–10pm, Sat 12–10pm, Sun 12–6pm

Constantly Pizza 39 S. Main Street, Concord, NH (603) 224-9366 www.constantlypizza.net @ConstantlyPizza Great food at great prices and a selection that can’t be beat!

We specialize in catering – office parties, rehearsal dinners, showers, anniversaries, retirements, special events, and more.

Check out our website for our full menu.

Open Mon–Thu & Sat 11am–10pm, Fri 11am–11pm; Sun Noon–9pm

WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

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THE ARTS

|

BY LAURA POPE

The

Gallerista PAM TARBELL’S COLORFUL METAMORPHOSIS: ARTIST, ADVOCATE, BUSINESSPERSON

S

ustaining an enduring career as an accomplished, award-winning painter and arts entrepreneur are exceptional feats for most artists. For Pam Tarbell, these are only two facets of a distinguished and comprehensive arts-centered life.

IN THE BEGINNING First there was the bachelor of fine arts in Arts Education from the Rhode Island School of Design. Then came teaching after-school art and art history classes to area children. But there was still the yearning to combine education with her own creative work—and that of other artists—which 23 years ago led to turning her contemporary Concord home and expansive grounds into the Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden.

Open from May through December, the gallery features the talents of dozens of artists—some are fixtures and others rotate in and out—at any given time. Two downstairs rooms are full of paintings, ceramics, handmade jewelry, and small indoor sculptures. An upstairs gallery exhibits rotating shows of two artists. During fairweather months, an expansive two-acre sculpture garden draws visitors from all over the state and New England.

Pam Tarbell.

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Marsh Kaleidoscope Series by Pam Tarbell. Oil on canvas, 60 x 40 in.

“I love connecting with the artists from all over New England and making lifelong friends and meeting interesting clients that appreciate what I am doing,” pamtarbell.com

caption

Beach Grass by Pam Tarbell. Oil on canvas, 40 x 30 in.

The ardent painter, arts educator, and gallerista regards these collective roles—as well as guest speaker, visiting artist, arts volunteer, and art consultant—as the products of a years-long organic metamorphosis.

“Once I had the gallery, I taught more art classes and could sell my own art and the artworks of other artists,” she says, adding that she ran the art gallery at the Kimball Jenkins Estate for three years before opening Mill Brook. “It also became obvious that there was really no home for the work of New England sculptors, so the sculpture garden began a couple of years later.”

ARTS ADVOCATE Pam was instrumental in launching last year’s first and quite successful Main Street Sculpture Exhibit and remains connected to that event. This type of advocacy is nothing new for her. But Pam notes that bringing the visual arts to Concord and introducing many to contemporary sculpture for the first time is one of her proudest achievements.

“The exhibit really humanizes Main Street, and the brick-and-mortar people loved it. So did the public. Seeing public, citywide art displays make people excited, engaged, and happy.”

To that end, Pam is now working on creating a self-guided tour of more than a dozen sculptures around Concord, including stops at the New Hampshire State Library and the Museum of New Hampshire History.

Learn more

BUT SHE’S AN ARTIST, TOO As a painter working and exhibiting for many years, Pam has created several thematic series encompassing several bodies of work. Her latest is called Migration Reflections. While each series is distinct, she says that the thread that binds them “is color, certainly, but also love of design and movement to create a different view of the world. Not your ordinary view but one creating a different perspective.”

Vivid colors, movement, and momentum are apt descriptions of her carefully composed paintings.“I’m influenced by a love of the water and protecting the environment, and how important our wetlands are for the many animals, birds, and insects that live or migrate there. The wetlands are a cleaning system for our water and air, one we must protect. When walking or kayaking in these areas one is impressed with the many different layers of the environment.

“It’s a complex system that results in more complex paintings.”

A juried member of the National Association of Women Artists, Pam has exhibited her polychrome canvases in a fleet of two-person and group juried shows throughout New England for years. These include solo shows in: • Galleries such as the Gallery at WREN in Bethlehem and the Eastborne Gallery in Newport • Public spaces such as Concord Public Library, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, and New Hampshire Audubon

themillbrookgallery.com WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

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THE ARTS 1

3

2

4

5

8

6

7

SOME OF THE FEATURED ARTISTS AT MILL BROOK GALLERY & SCULPTURE GARDEN 1. Hide Away by Mike Howat.

2. The Garden Angel by Tomie dePaola.

3. Necklace #4 by Alice Spencer.

4. Swimmingly by David Smus.

5. Stoneware pottery by Dwo Wen Chen.

6. We Two Together by Michael Alfano.

7. Pottery by Boyan Moskov.

8. Esmeralda by Stephanie Bush.

WHERE TO FIND PAM Mill Brook Gallery & Sculpture Garden 236 Hopkinton Road Concord, NH (603) 226-2046 11am to 5pm, Thu–Sun May through December or by appointment

"Artists work very hard to create artwork for our personal enjoyment . . .

They need your support.”

• Museums such as Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, Massachusetts • Academic settings including the Lyceum Gallery at Derryfield School in Manchester; Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts; and the Conant Art Gallery at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts.

Upcoming exhibits of her paintings include a show at AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon in September 2019.

THEMILLBROOKGALLERY.COM

THE GALLERISTA Selecting and displaying the works of others in her gallery and sculpture garden is another savored aspect of her arts career. “I love connecting with the artists

Personal Website PAMTARBELL.COM

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pamtarbell.com

from all over New England and making lifelong friends and meeting interesting clients that appreciate what I am doing,” she says.

But this is all part and parcel of a working artist and advocate for the arts. “Across the country, there’s been a downturn in buying antiques and the visual arts.

The arts are a business, right under manufacturing, in billions of dollars, by which people try to support themselves. Artists work very hard to create artwork for our personal enjoyment and to improve our quality of life in our homes, businesses, or public spaces. They need your support.”

Ergo the intersection of artist, advocate, and businessperson.

themillbrookgallery.com

Shop Local In & Around Concord

UNIQUE SHOPPING

Caring Gifts

Joe King’s Shoe Shop

Goldsmith’s Gallery, LLC

When the presentation is as important as the present! Our magic goes into every order we fill! Custom-made gift baskets, corporate gifts, candy, wedding gifts, and more!

45 North Main Street, Concord, NH (603) 225-6012 www.joekings.com

2 Capital Plaza 57 North Main Street, Concord, NH (603) 224-2920 goldsmiths-gallery.com facebook.com/GoldsmithsGalleryNH

18 North Main Street, Concord, NH (800) 585-8382 caringgifts.com

Mon–Thu 9am–7pm, Fri 9am–8pm Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm

Tue–Fri 10am–5:30pm Sat 10am–4pm, Closed Sun & Mon

AMISH HOMESTEAD LOTS OF Celeste Oliva

NEW

!

INVENTORY

Artisan Olive Oils & Balsamic Vinegars 8 North Main Street, Concord, NH (603) 225-3866 Mon & Fri 10am–3pm, Tue–Thu 10am–7pm Sat 10am–4:30pm, Closed Sun

Visit us at our

New Location

80 S. Main Street, Concord NH ReChic Boutique ReChic Boutique and ReChic Baby offer high-quality new and resale clothing and accessories for women and children.

10 North State Street, Concord, NH (603) 227-6101 www.ReChicB.com

Great selection of Amish hand crafted furniture with a specialty in shaker style and distressed finishes, and a great variety of bentwood rockers and gliders.

Amish Homestead is a genuine one stop shop for Amish made country style furniture and country decor.

WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

33

THE ARTS

Celebrate These

Creative Lights OUR WINTER HARVEST OF FOUR LOCAL CRAFTSPEOPLE

S

ibel Alpaslan, Erin Finney, Peter Happny, and Kathleen Litchfield represent a small portion of area artisans whose work warms the winter season with color, movement, and the fire-kindled nature of craft. We are lucky that their work—as well as the work of hundreds of other artists— flows into Concord as if it were the millpond that the state’s creative wellspring feeds into.

u SIBEL ALPASLAN'S ORNAMENT, PEACE, WAS SELECTED BY THE NH LEAGUE OF CRAFTSMAN AS IT'S ANNUAL 2018 ORNAMENT, THE FIRST TIME A CERAMIC ORNAMENT WAS CHOSEN IN 31 YEARS.

Sibel Alpaslan Sibel’s handmade porcelain, white clay, and stoneware is the first ornament chosen by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen as its Annual Ornament to use clay as one of its media in 31 years. The inspiration for the piece, notes the Turkish-born artist, is the inherent beauty and lyrical symbolism of doves, which have been an important motif in her work.

“I think they are fascinating, magical creatures,” Sibel says. “Maybe it’s because I come from a city on the Aegean Coast of Turkey called Kusadasi [near the ancient city of Ephesus], where there is a small island just off the coast that’s name means ‘Bird Island’ because it is a popular place for birds during their seasonal migrations.

“During the 10 years that I had a ceramics studio in Kusadasi, small, sculptural doves often became a decorative element in my pottery. And now that I’ve lived in America for eight years, I have come to understand and embrace other wonderful meanings for the dove.”

Ceramics by Sibel Alpaslan.

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ceramicsbysibel.com

erinfinneyglassdesigns.com

For each ornament the artist fashions a dove out of white porcelain clay, uses a turquoise color to meld the green of Earth’s landmasses and the blue of its oceans, and adds a porcelain star as a nod to her new homeland, America.

Sibel earned her undergrad and graduate degrees at Marmara University in Istanbul and then spent a decade in her own ceramics studio in Kusadasi.

She now views her adoptive country’s influences as ingredients in a heady “new artistic recipe.”

Additionally, teapots and cups are part of her ceramic repertoire; a most warming antidote to ward off the season’s chill.

Erin Finney Erin creates her stained-glass jewelry—earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and pendants—by polishing and/or layering and fusing dichroitic (of two iridescent colors) and iridized glass (thin, metallic coating on one side) in a kiln at her Jackson studio.“There’s so much color deprivation in winter,” she says by way of explaining her color-infused jewelry. “It’s so monochromatic.”

Cobb Hill Construction, Inc.

603-224-8373 www.cobbhill.com

Providing construction excellence for over 30 years

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q ERIN FINNEY'S LOVE BRACELET

FEATURING THE CHINESE SYMBOL FOR LOVE IS HAND-ETCHED IN DICHROIC GLASS AND COMBINES INDIVIDUALLY CRAFTED FUSED GLASS BEADS WITH STERLING SILVER COMPONENTS.

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• Over 150 dealer booths • Eclectic mix of pristine merchandise arrives daily at reasonable prices • Diverse array of primitive, antique, vintage, home décor and collectible nostalgia • Fresh brewed coffee all day • Relaxing music and climate control • Accessible from I93 N/S, 1 hour north of Boston, RV/Bus parking available • Member NHADA

Bestp Antique Shop

Open: Mon - Sat: 10 – 6 • Sun: 11– 5 97 Storrs Street, Concord, NH • 603.225.2070 www.ConcordAntiquesGallery.com Facebook.com/concordantiquesgallery * Concord Area People’s Preference (Concord Monitor Insider)

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THE ARTS

u KATHLEEN LITCHFIELD'S HAND-WOVEN

SCARVES, SHAWLS, AND PONCHOS INSPIRED

BY THE BEAUTIFUL HILLS OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARE MADE FROM RAYON, CHENILLE, MOHAIR, MERINO WOOL, AND TENCEL.

Erin is a retired Conway Elementary School special education teacher who in her off hours explored creative outlets such as pottery and quilting. It wasn’t until her husband took a stained-glass art class 20 years ago that she began exploring designing and firing colorful glass. Like many enduring artisans, she’s followed the shifting streambed of her craft, from creating flat glass pieces to artfully fired and designed jewelry.

She is also noted for her mosaic work, having studied with distinguished muralist David Fichter of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The two worked together as part of the Tamworth 250th Community Mural project. In 2013, Erin was awarded a scholarship by the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen to study under free-form muralist Isaiah Zagar of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens in a mosaic mural workshop.

Peter Happny Portsmouth-based blacksmith Peter Happny regards his forgemanipulated metal pieces as an unending duet with fire. The effect, he says, “Gives you the ability to move metal in all kinds of directions. The only limitation in creating shapes and forms is your imagination.”

The utilitarian, sturdy features of his hooks and candlestick holders harken back to traditional metalcraft. But the elegant, jewel-like finish he evokes in his glass-and-iron chandeliers and suspended glass-and-iron plant holders define their beauty and artistry.

“For these,” he says, “it’s all about the space between the three-dimensional lines.

There’s functionality but there is also a jewel-setting aspect, too.”

Peter is a gifted artisan who often collaborates with other artists. These works exhibit a precise dovetail and understanding of metalworking paired with other art forms and media.

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peterhappny.com

t PETER HAPPNY WORKS IN MANY DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURAL STYLES, INCLUDING COLONIAL, ART NOUVEAU, GOTHIC REVIVAL, ARTS AND CRAFTS, ART DECO, AND CONTEMPORARY IRON WORK.

firecrowhandwovens.com

Kathleen Litchfield Master weaver Kathleen Litchfield designs and hand-weaves colorful, warming scarves, shawls, and ponchos in rayon, chenille, mohair, merino wool, and Tencel using a variety of looms including a Harrisville, Macomber, Schacht, and an eight-harness cherry Norwood model. She discovered her passion for the craft at an early age after a chance encounter.

“I fell in love with the idea of weaving at age nine at Old Sturbridge Village because of the softness of the yarns that we had carded and spun. I loved the sheep, too. Making cloth from sheep’s wool seemed magical.”

Kathleen followed her calling, became a juried member of the League in 2016, and earned a master’s certificate in weaving this year. She traces her design inspiration to travel and nature.

The gift of hand-woven warmth, she explains, is a testament to the legacy and endurance of the craft.

“One of the things I love most about weaving is that a finely hand-woven piece will last forever and is often a treasured piece of art/craft marking a special occasion, like an anniversary, wedding, or birthday.

Many people select hand-woven scarves, shawls, and ponchos for people they love, and this means so much to me, that they would choose something I made from scratch, an original design from my mind, to honor those very special occasions.”

All four are juried members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. There work can be found here in Concord.

WHERE TO FIND THESE ARTISTS ONLINE Sibel Alpaslan

CERAMICSBYSIBEL.COM

Erin Finney

ERINFINNEYGLASSDESIGNS.COM

Peter Happny PETERHAPPNY.COM Kathleen Litchfield

FIRECROWHANDWOVENS.COM

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Celebrate the Season

THE CONCORD COMMUNITY SPREADS HOLIDAY CHEER

R

ather than getting bogged down by holiday stress, rediscover the magic of the season by celebrating out in the community. A variety of local venues are offering holidaythemed performances and activities to help get you into the spirit.

Gather family and friends for a day or night on the town to enjoy this special time of year—you’ll find that the holiday cheer and excitement are contagious!

TAKE IN A HOLIDAY CL ASSIC Nothing kicks off the season quite like the quintessential holiday ballet: The Nutcracker. From Tchaikovsky’s instantly recognizable score to the gorgeous sets and beautifully danced choreography, The Nutcracker appeals to young and old alike, whether it’s a lavish production or a simple performance. Start a holiday tradition and check out The Nutcracker (with a live orchestra!) at the Capitol

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RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL @ CAPITOL CENTER FOR THE ARTS DECEMBER 4

Center for the Arts on December 1 and 2, or at the Audi on December 15 and 21.

Another holiday classic, A Christmas Carol will be at the Hatbox Theatre on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from November 29 to December 16. In this original adaptation, Hatbox focuses on how the dream-like qualities of the ghost story aspect of Dickens’ work can bring about redemption.

Is it an “undigested bit of beef” that lends Scrooge to have bad dreams, or is he really being visited by ghosts intent on helping him redeem himself? Audience members will also wonder if they’re dreaming when they’re immersed in sound, lights, and projections that bring out the eerier aspects of Scrooge’s fateful night.

AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS @ THE HATBOX DECEMBER 21—23

The Audi offers a fun—and musical—adaptation of A Christmas Carol on December 7 and 8. A Christmas Carol: The Musical Ghost Story tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and how he must examine his haunted past, lonely present, and frightening future in order to rejoin his fellow man and discover the true meaning of Christmas with original songs, bright costumes, and riveting choreography.

MORE SEASONAL THEATER Many of us grew up with the beloved TV classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and this classic soars off the screen and

onto the stage this holiday season at the Capitol Center for the Arts on December 4.

Come see all your favorite characters, including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, and, of course, Rudolph, as they come to life in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical.

The Hatbox Theatre continues its holiday lineup with FRUITCAKE!, a deliciously nutty Christmas mash-up that showcases three actors in their quest to portray every aspect of the season in one hilarious, sugar-rush of a show. Enjoy renditions of A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, Frosty the Snowman, and more like you’ve never seen before—featuring sword fighting, reggae, rap, ballet, improvisation, poetry, and dozens of props and costumes. FRUITCAKE! runs from November 30 to December 16 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Amahl and the Night Visitors at the Hatbox is an opera in one act featuring the three Wise Men following the Christmas star toward Bethlehem. They stop to rest for the night and encounter Amahl, an impoverished boy who lives with his widowed mother. Sleep is interrupted by an attempted theft, but a miracle provides a joyous resolution. Enjoy this classic Christmas story December 21 through 23.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL GHOST STORY @ THE AUDI DECEMBER 7—8

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CHRISTMAS AT CANTERBURY @ CANTERBURY SHAKER VILLAGE DECEMBER 8

FOR THE MUSIC LOVER “Ring” in the holiday season with the Granite State Ringers at the Audi on November 28. The handbell choir will perform music and tales of the season, including The Polar Express, Saint Nick, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Granite State Ringers will also perform Handel’s classic Messiah at St. Paul’s Church on December 2. Doors open at 6:30 but get there early to assure seating—this is a very popular event!

On December 23, the Capitol Center for the Arts presents the Capital Jazz Orchestra Holiday Pops featuring vocalists CJ Poole and Laura Daigle. NHPR’s Laura Knoy will recite her traditional version of The Night Before Christmas. Bring the whole family and sing along with classic renditions of seasonal favorites.

For the rockers in the family, the Capitol Center for the Arts brings back the annual holiday Buzz Ball on December 13. Join Greg and the Morning Buzz, your hosts for the

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MIDNIGHT MERRIMENT @ DOWNTOWN CONCORD DECEMBER 7

evening, and their crazy friends for this wonderful holiday treat. The show features New England’s best entertainment with some very special guest musicians, comedians, and actors. This is the ultimate holiday rock and roll variety show!

MAKE A DAY (OR NIGHT ) OF IT Christmas at Canterbury Shaker Village is a chance to experience the delights of Christmas in a simpler era. On December 8, visit the historic Shaker buildings to watch an old-time 19th century magic show, meet Father Christmas, make Christmas-inspired crafts, admire a toy train display, or listen to fiddlers. Enjoy hot cider and singing Christmas

carols as they light the Village Christmas tree. This classic holiday event is a family favorite that will become a yearly tradition!

If a tour is more your style, visit Canterbury Shaker Village for a guided candlelit tour highlighting the Shakers’ Christmas traditions. During the 200 years that Shakers lived at Canterbury Shaker Village their Christmas traditions evolved and changed. Explore the evolution of the Shakers’ Christmas celebrations—from simple religious services in the 19th century to holiday decorations and elaborate theatricals in the 20th century—on this 60-minute guided tour, which ends with cookies and hot cider in one of the decorated historic buildings. Tours are offered December 6, 7, 9, 13, and 14.

Finally, on December 7, bring the family to Midnight Merriment, Concord’s annual holiday shopping event, to celebrate the season with thousands of your neighbors, friends, and community members.

There’s plenty of parking and lots of space to enjoy more than 100 shops and restaurants downtown. Businesses stay open late and display beautifully decorated windows, colorful lights, and old-fashioned hospitality. In addition to shopping, enjoy carolers, a s’mores station, a beard contest, and much more.

Imagine a kitchen...

FOR MORE INFORMATION Canterbury Shaker Village SHAKERS.ORG Capitol Center for the Arts CCANH.COM Concord City Auditorium (the Audi) CONCORDCITYAUDITORIUM.ORG Granite State Ringers GRAINTESTATERINGERS.ORG Hatbox Theatre HATBOXNH.COM Midnight Merriment INTOWNCONCORD.ORG

Vintage Kitchens 800.832.6251 www.vintagekitchens.com 603.224.2854

24 South Street

Concord, NH 03301

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FASHION

New Englander’s A

Winter Style

Guide

LOOKING GOOD WHILE STAYING WARM

BY HANNAH SAMPADIAN

| PHOTOS BY GEOFF FORESTER

W

hen winter storms come rolling through, we tend to dig out the old, reliable coat and hat that have fended off face-numbing winds for more years than we can remember. They are tried and true, but perhaps a bit passé and pockmarked as well.

Rather than ignore frazzled seams, fussy zippers, and thinning elbows for yet another year, indulge in a winter update. In fact, peruse the racks of the Capital area’s clothiers and you’ll find a seasonal wardrobe variety to suit a range of fashion tastes. And who knows? Maybe a reinvented look of New England winter-style staples will help flutter away those gloomy cold-weather blues.

FEATURED RETAILERS

CONCORD, NH

Joe King’s Shoe Shop Eastern Mountain Sports Britches of Concord

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WELL-BUILT ST YLE BY JOE KING ’S SHOE SHOP Find ways to leave the house wearing an outfit that flatters your physique and expresses your personal style—while staying warm.

Winter weather provides the option to layer functional items that pair well together.

While dressing for comfort and warmth, there’s no shame in slipping into your favorite pair of blue jeans before adding layers. Denim is functional and stylish in any season and can easily be dressed up with accessories.

Here, our model keeps her style simple with a black funnel-neck sweatshirt. This athleisure top is draped and loose but still features a flattering cropped cut. Made with soft, warming fleece, it pairs well with a leather jacket or your favorite sneakers and leggings. Preparing for the cold, she wears a heavy-duty knee-length parka equipped with a fully lined hood and hidden waistband adjustments that can be cinched or let out for a straight silhouette. The coat also includes drop-in hand-warmer pockets, and a drawcord and lock at the hem cinches for additional warmth. The solid army green goes along with the simple theme of the outfit while adding a touch of color. The stylish boots feature waterproof leather uppers and lightweight rubber bottoms to get her where she needs to go with dry feet. The brown boots with red plaid lining feature a removable insole that both cushions and retains warmth. A brown wrap scarf pulls the outfit together.

JOE KING’S SHOE SH OP $92.95 Kamik SiennaC boots in dar

k brown

with red plaid lining

$25.95 Cirque Moun tain Apparel

Hoff Scarf

$249.00 Patagonia Ins ulated Prairie

in fatigue green

$97.95

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Dawn Parka

UGG Miya Funnel Neck Sweat shirt in black

JOE KING’S SHOE SHOP

WINTER WEATHER PROVIDES THE OPTION TO LAYER FUNCTIONAL

$89.00 Timberland

PRO R-Value Flannel Work Shirt in navy blue

ITEMS THAT PAIR WELL TOGETHER.

$159.95 Timberland

Kendrick Chukka Boots in dark brown full-grain

$29.95 Timberland

PRO Logo Sleeve Base Plate Wicking T-Shirt in grey heather

$89.00 Carhartt Quick

Duck Jefferson Vest in charcoal

Staying casual with a pair of jeans is acceptable for men and women. For this outfit, our model is prepared for a winter day of running errands. He dresses up a simple pair of blue jeans with classy brown waterproof leather boots. Yes, waterproof dress boots do exist! Staying with neutral tones, he wears a gray long-sleeve tee shirt with moisture-wicking fabric that draws perspiration away from the skin, helping to keep him comfortable throughout the day. Next, he layers items to add flair to the ensemble. A patterned blue flannel goes along with the outfit’s calming colors. A dark gray water-repellent vest ties it all together and offers protection from the cold winds.

ATHLETIC CASUAL BY EASTERN MOUNTAIN SPORTS The Granite State is known for offering beautiful landscapes and plenty of outdoor activities. Many New Hampshire natives spend much of their time outside, regardless of the season. If you are one of those people but are unsure of how to bring your style and hobbies together in a tasteful manner, Eastern Mountain Sports has exactly what you need.

Show off your outdoorsy style in clothes that can be worn for a day in the mountains or a casual evening dinner party à la New England chic.

Learn more

JoeKings.com WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

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ORTS EASTERN MOUNTAIN SP $69.95 Mountain Khakis Horizon Short Sleeve

Shirt in red $50.00 EMS Go East Pants in chinchilla $89.00 EMS Roundtrip Trek Full-Zip Fleece

Jacket in bronze green heather

A durable pair of khaki pants is a great investment going into the cold season.

Their neutral tone allows for easy pairing.

Our model matches his khakis with a red patterned shirt, showing off a colorful and quirky panache. The green jacket layered over the tee makes the color pop while giving off an earthy vibe, perfect for a day outdoors.

His brown waterproof loafers complement the earth tones of the outfit and allow his feet to stay warm and dry. He accessorizes with a black belt and pair of black sunglasses around the neck to ward off bright white winter skies.

Women can also express an earthy vibe and style in casual athletic gear. This outfit is an

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WWW.AROUNDCONCORD.COM

OUR MODELS example of how to wear dark denim jeans in a casual manner. This ensemble pairs dark-wash jeans with a solid-colored long-sleeve shirt.

The salmon color is subtle yet distinctive, making the stone-colored fleece vest she pairs it with stand out. The vest is the star of the outfit—the lining creates a fitted look while the collared neck prepares her for winter warmth.

The two-toned threads add richness and depth to the fleece layer. A stowaway hood provides additional warmth and protection from the elements when she needs it and zips into an oversized collar when she doesn’t. She keeps it cool with olive-colored lace-up sneakers that feature molded rubber outsoles to keep her dry while walking around the city.

www.EMS.com

You may recognize some or all of our models as they are members of the Concord Monitor staff. They are also good sports to take a break from their work to show off some of the locally available styles and outfits.

Mike Pezone and Hannah Sampadian (the author) modeled for Britches of Concord.

Ray Duckler and Hannah Sampadian modeled for the EMS shoot.

And Ray Duckler and Leah Willingham modeled at Joe King’s.

SHOW OFF YOUR OUTDOORSY STYLE IN CLOTHES THAT CAN BE WORN FOR A DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS OR A CASUAL EVENING DINNER PARTY À LA NEW ENGLAND CHIC.

EASTERN MOUNTAIN SPORTS $70.00 SOREL

Campsneak Lace-Up Casual in olive drab

$149.00 Kuhl Flight

Vest in stone

EMS Techwick Vital Long-Sleeve V-Neck Tee in apple butter heather

$9.98

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BRITCHES OF CONCORD

ssic Fit Blazer in blue

el Cla $435.00 FLYNT Two Button Notch Lap ve $140.00 Viyella Garnet Plaid Long Slee

Sport Shirt in red plaid aker in navy

r Sne $295.00 Robert Talbott Turbo Leathe New $35.00 Harding-Lane Needle-Point

Hampshire Baseball Cap

$120.00 Second Yoga Jeans Highrise Boot Cut in black $174.00 tyler böe Windsor Plaid and Leather Vest in

multi-color

$153.00 tyler böe Sherri Button Down Blouse in white

STREET-STYLE CHIC BY BRITCHES OF CONCORD For the working man and woman, the winter months make it difficult to dress professionally yet fend off freezing rain, snow, and just plain cold weather. Britches of Concord offers high-quality, fashionable dresswear for those looking to—warmly— sport their best style this season.

In this outfit, our model starts with

solid black stretch jeans. Black tends to be slimming, making you feel confident in what you’re wearing. The stretch material provides comfort for a long day in the office. She adds a professional-looking white blouse on top with ruffled sleeves to give the outfit a bit of texture. A patterned and multilayered material vest over the blouse adds a funky yet fashionable twist. Plaid patterns are on trend this season, so don’t

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WWW.AROUNDCONCORD.COM

be afraid to add a little flair.

For men, this outfit shows how to dress smartly. His layered-look sport coat with an interior zip inset is made from wool softened with a whisper of cashmere. The sport coat paired with washed jeans is a perfect look for a casual Friday in the office. A long-sleeve sport shirt in plaid goes along with this season’s most popular trends and adds color to the look. Playing around with patterns, he accessorizes with a red and blue paisley pocket square. He creates a sporty look with the Turbo Sneaker

by Robert Talbott with its athletic-inspired silhouette, stylish enough for a jacket and jeans while offering the all-day comfort of a traditional sneaker. To top off the ensemble, he adds a fitted baseball cap with the outline of his native New Hampshire.

www.BritchesConcord.com

at

ne pa

He

in g

O i l s & Pr o

H. R. Clough, Inc. Four ur Generations r rations of Dependable Dependable Expert Depen Ex rrtt Family Exper Family Service

WHEN N IT COMES TO HOME COMFORT WE ARE YOUR SPECIALISTS.

Joe King’s Shoe Shop 45 North Main Street JOEKINGS.COM

Eastern Mountain Sports 68 Fort Eddy Road WWW.EMS.COM

Britches of Concord

• Over 75 years in the home heating industry!

76 Pine Street | Contoocook | 746.3456 29 Depot Street | Warner | 456.2426 800.730.2426 | www.hrclough.com

NE-238445

A FEW CONCORD CLOTHIERS TO PERUSE

• Pur Pure P uree Comfort ur Comf Co mfor mf ortt heating or heat he atin at ingg oill & premium in pre pre remi mium mi um propane prop pr opan op anee an • Complete HVAC systems - including oil, gas, & solid fuel - design, installation and service • 24-hour emergency service available

1 Eagle Square #110 WWW.BRITCHESCONCORD.COM

Gondwana & Divine Clothing Co. 13 North Main Street CLOTHINGNH.COM

Fabulous Looks Boutique 86 North Main Street WWW.FABULOUSLOOKS

BOUTIQUE.COM

ReChic Boutique

You can count on us to be there. To encourage. To assist. And to understand.

One hundred percent.

100% true blue

Please call to schedule your complimentary lunch and tour, we’d love to show you around.

Assisted Living Memory Care 3 Denny Hill Road • Warner 603.456.3181 BlueHarborSeniorLiving.com

1273694

10 North State Street (603) 227-6101

What’s in Your Closet Resale Boutique 9 Pleasant Street WIYCNH.WIXSITE.COM/ YOURCLOSET

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y t i n Sere Ensconced in Winter’s

JACKSON XC OFFERS A UNIQUE AND TRADITIONAL NEW ENGLAND EXPERIENCE

STORY BY LISA BALLARD PHOTOS BY JACK AND LISA BALLARD

K

ick. Glide. Kick. Glide. I had forgotten how cathartic the rhythm of cross-country skiing can be.

My husband Jack and I had just left the Jackson Ski Touring Center’s lodge, eager for some exercise and to see some new terrain. Though I had alpine skied in the Mount Washington Valley many times and often stayed in the village of Jackson, this was my first time exploring the touring center’s extensive trail network.

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Jackson Ski Touring Center JACKSONXC.ORG

Left top: The hut at the base of Mt. Madison.

Left bottom: Neil descending Crawford Path.

Below: The author ascending rocky terrain. Photo by Neil Preston.

We skied through an iconic red covered bridge over the partially frozen Ellis River.

At the halfway point on the bridge, we paused to admire a short section of the river, a tributary of the Saco River that flows off the eastern side of Mount Washington.

The snow conditions were what could be described as crispy-New England-traditional. Ten inches of new snow had blanketed Jackson followed by two days of rain. Then the temperature dipped below freezing the night before our arrival. The sunshine made up for the challenges of the track, which was fast but still enticing.

The Jackson Ski Touring Center (JSTC) also grooms its trails daily, which gave the conditions a significant boost.

Our skis skimmed effortlessly along the parallel grooves in the crystalline snow. A Monday in early February, we had the place to ourselves.

Deb Deschenes, JSTC’s marketing, sales, and events manager and one of the center’s two full-time employees (there are 25 seasonal ones, too), suggested we try the Ellis River Trail to Cocoa Cabin. To get there, our route started on what is a golf course during the summer. I was grateful for the flat warm-up.

We skied through an iconic red covered bridge over the partially frozen Ellis River. At the halfway point on the

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A design collaboration is a very special relationship.

Explore our inspiring selection of today’s leading brands featuring everything from vanities, tubs and showers to kitchen sinks, faucets and lighting.

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Alan’s of Boscawen 133 No. Main Street, Rte. 3, Boscawen, NH (603) 753-6631 | www.alansofboscawen.com Alan’s of Boscawen, a family-owned restaurant, has been a local favorite in the Concord area for over 33 years providing great food, catering, and dining experiences.

Featuring live entertainment Fri & Sat 8:30pm–12am.

Open daily, including breakfast Sat & Sun.

Celebrate your Wedding, Shower, or Graduation with us. Off-site catering available for any event. Call for details!

SUBSCRIBE

Bring the splendor of Around Concord directly to your home!

Share the wonder of our beautiful area and the latest news all year long with an Around Concord gift subscription.

Be sure to order a subscription for yourself too!

Send a check for $19.95 for one year (4 issues) to: Around Concord One Monitor Drive, Concord, NH 03301.

Or purchase online at www.aroundconcord.com.

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Cocoa Cabin JACKSONXC.ORG

As we neared our destination—Cocoa Cabin—we came to one of the storybook trails.

Story Land—a local children’s theme park—the Jackson Library, and JSTC partnered together to create two cross-country ski and snowshoe-friendly trails. bridge, we paused to admire a short section of the river, a tributary of the Saco River that flows off the eastern side of Mount Washington. Pillows of snow and pockets of open water melded with flowing ice in a wintry patchwork down the middle of the river.

After we skied off the other side of the bridge, we went through a short underpass. We took our skis off briefly to cross a road in a quiet neighborhood and then walked around a gate by the village water plant.

From there, we continued on skis along the river on a broad, white corridor below bushy hemlocks and naked oaks and birches. Rays of sunlight touched the trail here and there, highlighting an acorn or brown leaf that had drifted there since the groomer had passed by. All was serene.

We traversed a short bridge, then came upon an instructor without students, taking advantage of the chance to enjoy some ski time on her own. “This trail is a super highway, very popular on weekends,” she said. We were glad for the chance to experience it at a more peaceful moment.

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A Bit About Jackson

J

STORY L AND TRAIL S As we neared our destination—Cocoa Cabin—we came to one of the storybook trails. Story Land—a local children’s theme park—the Jackson Library, and JSTC partnered together to create two cross-country ski and snowshoe-friendly trails: a one-kilometer loop by the library and the Ankle Biter section of the Ellis River Trail. You can ski and read a children’s story at the same time, in this case, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

The idea is to read a book and get some exercise.

(Kids under age 10 ski free at JSTC.) As an added bonus on weekends and during holidays, you can warm your hands and toes by the firepit and sip hot cocoa by the cabin. On this quiet Monday, the cabin was deserted, but we still smiled at the story and appreciated this clever way to encourage families to get outdoors during the winter.

The storybook trails were made possible through a $5,000 grant from Story Land and the library to the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation. The foundation is a community-based nonprofit organization chartered to maintain trails in and around the village of Jackson, New Hampshire. It was formed in 1972 in the living room of the Christmas Farm Inn & Spa, one of a number of lodges and restaurants along the JSTC’s 154-kilometer trail system, which by coincidence, was where Jack and I stayed.

FORMING THE FOUNDATION The Christmas Farm Inn & Spa dates back to 1778 when it was a true farmhouse. Its name was bestowed shortly after the Great Depression when a Phila-

ackson is truly a rare gem. A persistently traditional New Hampshire small village, Jackson is nestled into a valley that lives just beneath the shadow of Mount Washington along Route 16. That said, if you are speeding up Route 16 toward Pinkham Notch, its entirely likely that you’d miss this lovely little spot without realizing it.

The village proper is found after taking a right off 16, passing through Jackson’s classic covered bridge—known as the Honeymoon Bridge—and then easing along its main street. A series of inns, stores, homes, the village green, and a modest golf course line the roadway. Around and above you, Mount Washington as well as several smaller mountains create the most enticing valley-like feel.

In and around Jackson you will be able to step back in time to an older, simpler version of New England. The Eagle Mountain House, built in 1916, is one of only a handful of surviving grand resort hotels in the White Mountains. It’s also home to its own links golf course carved from what used to be grazing pasture for the hotel’s livestock in 1920.

Other lodging options include: • Christmas Farm Inn & Spa • The Glen House Hotel • The Wentworth Inn • The Lodge at Jackson Village • The Inn at Thorn Hill & Spa • Carter Notch Inn • Wildcat Inn & Tavern The above listed inns also offer a range of dining options, but we would also recommend Thompson House Eatery in the heart of Jackson and the Shovel Handle Pub. The latter of these lives in a converted, three-story post and beam barn and has views of nearby Black Mountain, which comes as close to traditional New England skiing as one can get without hiking up to Tuckerman’s Ravine.

And then there’s the Shannon Door Pub & Restaurant. This is a lovely and lively place to have a simple, pub-style meal, a few drinks, and listen to great, live acoustic music with locals and visitors. On a Saturday night, this is one of the best places to be. If you happen to see Kevin Dolan performing—he’s a Mount Washington Valley acoustic institution—say hello. He’s a fine Irishman.

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Christmas Farm Inn & Spa CHRISTMASFARMINN.COM

The Christmas Farm Inn & Spa dates back to 1778 when it was a true farmhouse. While relaxing in the living room of the main house, I could easily imagine local business owners and skiers gathered there to plan the touring center as a way to support the local economy. delphian gave the property to his daughter as a Christmas present. Though it was a working farm and a jail at various times during its long history, this historic inn now mixes traditional New England charm with a classy spa, exceptional restaurant, and luxurious rooms. While relaxing in the living room of the main house, I could easily imagine local business owners and skiers gathered there to plan the touring center as a way to support the local economy.

“The touring center was small in ’72, but it kept growing,” Deb says. “It’s not all on our land or public land. Seventyseven private landowners allow us to groom track across their property during the winter. We finally secured some permanent easements in 2017 to keep the trails in perpetuity from some of those 77 landowners. Some said no [to the easement], but it’s all okay.”

NATURAL SNOW Unlike the alpine resorts in the area that make snow, JSTC depends entirely on Mother Nature to cover its trails. Some-

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The Heart of New England Skiing

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ackson Ski Touring Center is one of the finest cross-country skiing locations anywhere, but it’s not the only traditional New England ski area in and around Jackson.

There’s also: • Great Glen Trails GREATGLENTRAILS.COM • Bear Notch Ski Touring Center WWW.BEARNOTCHSKITOURING.COM • Black Mountain Ski Area WWW.BLACKMT.COM • Wildcat Mountain* WWW.SKIWILDCAT.COM • Mt. Washington Valley Ski Touring & Snowshoe Foundation MWVSKITOURING.ORG

times she cooperates, and sometimes she doesn’t.

The village gets an average of 60 inches of snow per year. Jackson had already received that much snow by mid-February when we were there, but the winter before, they had only six inches for the entire winter.

“We do the best with what we get,” Deb explains.

“We farm it. Even the snow off the roof of the lodge gets spread on the trails. After it rains, we don’t touch the snow. We let the water go through it. It refreezes, then we till it with the groomer. It’s a science.” If managing natural snowfall is a science, then JSTC is the Einstein of snow.

Its trail system is considered one of the finest in the United States. And it’s a full-service touring center that offers tours, lessons, children’s after-school programs, physical education classes for local elementary-age children, race volunteer workshops, free use of sit-skis for disabled skiers, training for disabled skierguides, waxing demonstrations, programs to combat obesity, and the simple pleasure of gliding on snow.

On our second day, Jack and I checked out the trails that start at Woodchuck Fields on Carter Notch Road. The snow softened as the sun climbed above us and warmed the day to a pleasurable 35 degrees.

As we skied across this expansive meadow covered by its winter blanket, we truly came to appreciate what JSTC has to offer, which is just about everything you could want on a Nordic getaway. You can ski, eat, and sleep without getting in your car until it’s time to go home, which was tough to do after such an enjoyable, invigorating two days.

• Bretton Woods at Omni Mount Washington Resort WWW.BRETTONWOODS.COM For those who are looking for a backcountry experience there is the Granite Backcountry Alliance at granitebackcountryalliance.org. They manage a range of glades and host several backcountry outings throughout the winter, among other activities. *The back of Wildcat offers one of the most challenging and beautiful backcountry ski trails in all of New England. Skiers can purchase a singleride ticket, take the lift to the top, and ski the back side.

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William and Fred Sanville, the young black children in front, attended the School Street School circa 1903–1904. Their parents were Wilfred and Annie Moody Sanville, but they also lived for a period of time with their grandmother, Mary Moody. William would later serve in World War I.

BY RAY CARBONE PHOTOS COURTESY OF WARNER HISTORICAL SOCIETY

A Small Town Discovers Its Black History

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SHEDDING LIGHT ON WARNER’S—AND THE STATE’S— RURAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN RESIDENTS

cross the story of America, the history of black people remains a darkened corner. We’ve failed other people—the Irish faced harsh discrimination, Native Americans are still routinely marginalized, and Japanese Americans serving in World

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War II saw their families interned—but the long, sorry tale of America’s sin against its black citizens is remarkable for both its length and its scope.

Equally as remarkable are the incredible dignity displayed and successes achieved by many slaves and their descendants.

New Englanders can rightly claim a significant role in ending the outright slavery of black

people because the abolitionist movement flourished here. But it’s an imperfect history. For decades, most New Hampshire residents believed that there was no slavery here and that racism was never a problem simply because we lived in one of the whitest states in the country. That fallacy ended in the 1990s, when Seacoast residents uncovered the little-

known history of black slaves and servants who worked in and around Portsmouth during the colonial era. Today, the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail allows people to follow this rugged trek.

But JerriAnne Boggis, executive director of the nonprofit organization that created the Portsmouth trail, says there’s still more that needs to be told.

She’s working with historians around the state to fill in the largely hidden history of black people who lived in rural New Hampshire towns during the early days of the nation—places like Andover, Hancock, Milford, and nearby Warner.

“Warner! Can you imagine?”

JerriAnne asks rhetorically.

“When you think of this out-ofthe-way place! But there was a community of colored people there. And it was not just one family, they were integrated into the community. They were part of the town.”

“The fact is that there was a community from at least 1810,” confirms Rebecca Courser, executive director of the Warner Historical Society.

“But it was not until 1850 that they were listed in the census.” Before that, individuals in white families were listed by age under the head of the household, but black families were simply numbered as freed colored persons, sometimes in the margins.

THE WARNER TRAIL Rebecca is excited about the possibility of having spots in Warner eventually listed on the new Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. That project is currently being developed in conjunction with JerriAnne and the Portsmouth-based group.

“You can drive by the William Haskell House,” Rebecca says, referring to the former home of a black man renowned as a talented basket maker. “In Waterloo [another section of town], there’s the house where

“Warner! Can you imagine?” JerriAnne asks rhetorically. “When you think of this out-ofthe-way place! But there was a community of colored people there. And it was not just one family, they were integrated into the community. They were part of the town.”

Clarence Steward lived, who was the [African-American] secretary for Nehemiah Ordway.”

Ordway was a prominent politician who served as Sergeant of Arms at the U.S. House of Representatives and a governor of the Dakota Territories.

“Then there’s the Waterloo School House, the Roby School House, and the Village and Burnt Hill schools,” Rebecca continues, noting that black and white children were integrated in those institutions.

A Warner leg of the statewide trail could also commemorate the black community that lived on what’s now called Poverty Plain Road—but was once known by the racial slur N---r Plain. Or there could be a marker near the wetlands alongside old Prince Hastings’s home, nicknamed Chocolate Swamp.

Rebecca was serving as Warner’s assistant town clerk several years ago when she be-

gan seeing things in old town records that piqued her interest about former black residents.

“I would run across this material—vital records and deeds, things like that—and I was curious,” she recalls. “Who were these people? What were their lives like?”

As others have found, resolv-

ing those questions is hard.

Most black Americans had little or no education, so there are few personal journals or other papers that have been preserved.

One significant exception is Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, which was published in 1859 (see sidebar).

In addition, what is available doesn’t provide a full picture of how most residents saw their black neighbors. “What did the silent majority of people in town think of them?” Rebecca asks. “We don’t hear about it.

We don’t know.”

What exists is not heartening. In town histories written in the later 1800s, white residents frequently recalled their black

Tony Jones was chosen to be the page boy for the Simonds Free High School Class of 1896. His mother, a widower named Annie Jones, had moved her family north from South Carolina to work in the household of a white family, Henry and Sarah Davis of Warner. Marion Davis, the couple’s daughter, was a graduate of the high school, which was why Tony was chosen to participate in the graduation activities.

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who, after the Revolutionary War, were amassing land here and there,” JerriAnne explains.

“And they would donate land to the town for a school or for a library. . . . They were doing the same thing that we think of as something the founding white fathers were doing,” she says.

Mary Moody resided on the Plains Road in Warner and was head of a multigenerational household. This photograph was taken when Mary was in her mid-fifties in the 1890s. Mary was paid to nurse other residents in the area and often received monies from the town pauper fund for food and clothing for her grandchildren.

“I would run across this material—vital records and deeds, things like that—and I was curious,” she recalls. “Who were these people? What were their lives like?” neighbors as stereotypically simpleminded and naturally subservient. “The stories that we see written up are usually not flattering,” Rebecca says.

“Many of them are derogatory.

‘They were stealing things,’ or ‘They’re alcoholic.’”

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What Rebecca and other historians around the state are discovering is that most black residents were good, law-abiding citizens who paid their taxes and supported their communities. “There were at least some Afro-American men

A BIT OF WARNER’S DIVERSE HISTORY Anthony Clark was a multifaceted man who made a significant impact on his community.

He came to town in the early 1800s and may have been among the black men awarded their freedom for fighting in the Revolutionary War. Anthony enlisted when he was 19 years old and is mentioned on official papers as being “on command at the lines,” i.e., engaged in active duty.

Anthony worked as a laborer in Warner, which was a common job for freed black

men, but he was also an accomplished musician and craftsman. In 1804, Anthony married Lucinda “Lucy” Moor of Canterbury in a Warner church. Over the years, the couple raised 10 children, and for many years the family was prominent at social gatherings around the region.

According to one report, the Clarks typically started out by pitching a tent at outdoor events, like musters and town celebrations. Anthony would start playing his fiddle to draw a crowd and his daughters—Sual Hall and Lydia Clark—would dance a jig. Soon men of all ages would “pitch-a-penny” for the chance to dance with them. In between, the Clarks sold their homemade gingerbread.

A neighbor known as Prince Martin may have sometimes joined the music. “Another Negro, born in Africa, for many years lived in the War-

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, Coming Closer . . .

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n 1995, Valerie Cunningham founded the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail to commemorate the history of black people who lived in and around state’s only port city in early America. The trail developed a self-guided tour that uses public signage as well as educational programs and community events to celebrate this little-known story. Now the all-volunteer nonprofit organization that manages the Seacoast trail is spreading to other parts of the state with the goal of developing a statewide resource called the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.

JerriAnne Boggis, the executive director of the organization, says that research is already underway and that local historians are working with educators to create a number of resources, including a self-guided tour that would be available online “so people can do it with their cell phones, they can find these sites,” she explains.

The project worked with two towns—Hancock and Milford—in 2018 and hopes to involve about 13 more in the next three years.

JerriAnne says that, eventually, markers and other commemorative instruments could be used at sites throughout the state.

ner woods under the name of Prince Martin,” one white resident recalled in 1823. “He could sing many songs and play on the bones, and always had a crowd of listeners round him.”

The “bones” were percussion instruments literally made from bones and popular in some African cultures.

Between big events, Anthony traveled around the area, playing his fiddle and calling dances at both public and private

Anthony would start playing his fiddle to draw a crowd and his daughters—Sual Hall and Lydia Clark—would dance a jig. Soon men of all ages would “pitch-a-penny” for the chance to dance with them. gatherings. The trips made him part of a network of people that kept black residents in different communities connected to one another. It was a role he shared

with itinerant laborers and drovers like Caesar Lewis, who lived in nearby Sutton. The drovers would move animals— including turkeys—over land to

Brighton, Massachusetts, where the animals were slaughtered for food. “[Caesar] was a man of good abilities, good manners, and unblemished integrity,” one resident recalled.

Anthony was an esteemed dance master who taught dance and its social etiquette to both adults and children. He would sometimes rent space in a local tavern and spend the week giving lessons as the tavern owner enjoyed a book in sales. At other

America’s First Black Celebrity

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ost black people who lived in America in the 19th century were slaves, captured or bought like animals in Africa or the Caribbean. That was the background of Richard Potter. He was born in 1783 in Massachusetts, the son of a black mother owned as a slave by his father, a wealthy white colonial official.

Richard grew up in the Boston area, and he had an endearing charm and fast mind that quickly marked him as unique. When he was 16 years old, he traveled to Europe with a white family that employed him. It was there, among the artists and entertainers, that Richard began learning the creative skills that allowed him to become one of the first popular entertainers in America.

His skills included legerdemain (card and coin tricks) and acrobatics, but it was principally ventriloquism that led to his notoriety. That trick was practically unknown in the New World at the time.

Richard amazed and unnerved people with his ability to make it appear that voices were coming from handbags and animals, but his charismatic character helped make audiences comfortable. He had “A constant smile seeming to illuminate his face,” said one acquaintance.

To his trickery, Richard eventually added songs, humorous speeches, and dancing on eggs.

When he later married Sally Harrys in 1808, Richard occasionally added her sweet voice to his music as the “Evening’s brush to sweep away care,” as he advertised his presentations.

As his reputation and repertoire grew, Richard took his act on the road, appearing all over New England. Around 1820, Richard toured all of pre-Civil War America, giving shows in southern slave states as well as in New York, Philadelphia, and parts of Canada. It was likely the first time any entertainer took such a wide-ranging circuit.

In 1813, Richard purchased land to establish a farm in Andover, about 25 miles northwest of Concord. He later told Nathan Hale, the famous patriot and newspaper editor: “The surest anchor, I thought, was to have some determinate object always in view, and none appeared to me more decisively powerful,

than an independence that would secure me from poverty and public charity, when advanced age or youthful competitors drove me from this temporary enjoyment. Having a good wife, well acquainted with country business, I concluded that instead of carrying her about with me as an assistant, it would be better to have a home, which would be to her a congenial occupation, and to me a polar star, towards which I would always set my course.”

Richard had a gentle, courteous manner but practiced a severe personal discipline. He told Hale that he “Avoided gambling, drinking, and idleness,” and became a “strong temperance man.” It is ironic, then, that Sally developed into an alcoholic whose irresponsible behavior hampered the family for years.

In John A. Hodgson’s recent biography Richard Potter: America’s First Black Celebrity, the author speculates about how much of the entertainer’s life was impacted by his skin color. In his early performing days, Richard was content and sometimes even encouraged people to speculate about whether he was a Hindu or from some other foreign culture. But most of his audiences apparently knew and accepted that he was, to use the term of the day, colored.

“His manners were impeccable, his behavior decorous and polite, his bearing gracious and almost courtly. But his complexion was dark, as was his wife’s,” one friend recalled.

The author did not uncover many specific incidents where the entertainer was hampered by racism, but it appeared to regularly add a tone of unpleasantness to his life. And it may have been part of the reason that an antagonism later developed between him and some of his Andover neighbors.

Richard died in 1835 and his wife passed away soon afterwards.

They were buried on their farm, but their graves were later moved to a place near the local train station. The station—and the village— are now known as Potter Place. A New Hampshire historic marker commemorates the famous performer’s life.

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times, Anthony would take the lead role at community events.

“Tony Clark and his fiddle [acted] as inspector-general,” one resident recalled, referring to festivities following one muster.

Anthony was by all accounts an intelligent, gracious man who made a long-lasting impression on Warner. “[He] probably did more towards instructing the young people in the arts and graces of politeness and good manners than any other man of his day and generation,” reads one report.

When Anthony died in 1856, reportedly at more than 100 years of age, he was buried with military honors.

It wasn’t long, however, before racial prejudice in the later 19th century began infringing on Anthony’s story.

An 1895 publication, A Sketch of Warner, claimed, “Anthony may have never fought [in

“[He] probably did more towards instructing the young people in the arts and graces of politeness and good manners than any other man of his day and generation,” reads one report. the Revolutionary War], but carried water and distributed cartridges at Bunker Hill, and in the capacity as waiter he served [General George] Washington . . . He used to fiddle for the officers, and after peace was restored, he drifted to Warner where he was ready with his fiddle for 50 years.”

Within a generation, Anthony was downgraded from active service to the country to work as a server and a waiter. Even his move to Warner was described as drifting, rather than a planned move to establish a home for his family.

Anthony’s story included one more twist. His secondyoungest son, Timothy Clark, changed his last name to Lyman. Timothy believed that Dr. Henry Lyman, a local white resident, had impregnated his mother.

“It’s interesting,” Rebecca says. “Was it consensual, not consensual? Was it in payment for some medical stuff? Who knows? Was she working for the household, doing housekeeping work and laundry, and taken advantage of? Maybe it was love. Was there a romantic relationship? Who knows?”

Another one of Anthony and Lucy Clark’s children, their daughter Caroline Clark, grew up to marry a black man named William Haskell. That couple’s only son, James Haskell, eventually served in the famous 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment during the Civil War. The regiment is commemorated in a famous bronze relief sculpture on the Boston Common, created by noted 19th century New Hampshire artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The family lived in a Main Street house that still stands, where William set up his workshop.

William became known throughout the region for his high-quality products. Baskets were an essential household item at the time, since people used them to carry important foodstuffs and other goods as they walked from place to place. His Main Street location

Harriet E. Wilson: Indentured Servant and Author

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This memorial monument to novelist Harriet Wilson is in Milford, where she spent most of her early life. The statue was commissioned by the Harriet Wilson Project, a local organization that’s working to have Wilson’s historical book Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black and other aspects of New Hampshire’s black history incorporated into the state’s history.

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ne of the main problems for historians researching the lives of early American black citizens in New Hampshire is the paucity of reliable source information. Since most black people—in fact, most Americans—had little or no formal education, there are few diaries, journals, or other personal papers available. A major exception is Our Nig: or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black, an autobiographical novel written by Harriet “Hattie” E. Wilson.

Wilson was born in Milford in 1825 to a black father and a white mother and was still a young child when her impoverished mother abandoned her to a local family. Hattie lived with this family as an indentured servant until she was a teenager.

Our Nig is considered a fictionalized version of Wilson’s life under the oppressive yoke of the family. Originally published in 1859, it’s one of the first novels published by a black woman in North America.

Despite its sympathetic view of the lives of black people, the book was unpopular even among people like abolitionists in the North. Some historians say that was because it showed that freed black people in the northern states sometimes faced the same harsh treatment as many slaves in the southern states.

was also perfect for the crowds of people who flocked to the town for the annual fall fair.

In business directories published between 1885 and 1895, William’s basket-making business is the only known black-owned business listed in the area. “He was written up in the newspaper for making 400 baskets in eight months,” Rebecca reports. “Based on his inscriptions on the handles and the baskets we have in our collection—and the newspaper story—we can see that those baskets were utilized for years.

They were considered sturdy.”

James Haskell followed the path of his grandfather, Anthony Clark, serving with his cousin John Haskell for the Union in the Civil War. Their names are among the five black men on Warner’s Soldiers Monument in the village.

LEAVING, AND SOME PASSING Around 1810 in nearby Henniker, another black man surnamed Haskell became known for marrying a white woman.

“Because,” he claimed, “all the colored women feel themselves to be too good for me.” It’s not clear whether he was related to the Warner Haskells.

On the other side of Warner, in Sutton, another former slave married a white woman and eventually became prominent in his community. Lot Little was owned as a slave by a tanner named Thomas Little on the seacoast. Renaming slaves with unusual or humorous names based on their white families’

It was part of a pattern of either passing for white or moving away that began in the mid-1800s when a particularly virulent wave of racism swept across the country. Especially after the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1854, requiring everyone to assist in the capture and return of escaped slaves, many black residents of New Hampshire left for Canada or the West. surname was common. A Revolutionary War veteran, Lot followed his ex-owner’s family to Sutton, where he managed properties for the family and, later, for himself.

Town records show that Lot Little paid taxes on property and voted. Unlike other black people, his family was always listed among the white residents. Dr. Lynn Clark, a Contoocook historian and independent researcher, speculates that he may have won an extra measure of respect due to his military service. Or, it may have been because he’d shown himself to be a responsible property owner, or simply because he was light skinned.

Despite that, an 1890 town history recalled Lot Little in this atypical description: “[He] clung affectingly to the family in which he had been kindly reared [i.e., his former owners], and the old feeling of dependence, the natural outgrowth of the peculiar relation of master and slave, made

him ready to attach himself to [their] fortunes.”

Lot Little’s decedents stayed in Sutton. Eventually all traces of their mixed-race identity were lost, Lynn says. “Some of them are still here but they’re not perceived as black anymore.”

It was part of a pattern of either passing for white or moving away that began in the

mid-1800s when a particularly virulent wave of racism swept across the country. Especially after the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1854, requiring everyone to assist in the capture and return of escaped slaves, many black residents of New Hampshire left for Canada or the West.

For those who stayed—or whose stories remained, like Anthony Clark—many were simply ignored or “whitewashed” to minimize their presence in the community.

“Most people don’t know about these stories,” Lynn says. “The remark we hear most often is, ‘I had no idea.’”

With the help of organizations like the Historical Society and the Black Heritage Trail, we all have the opportunity to learn more about this aspect of our area’s history and celebrate the contributions African Americans made to our society.

George Moody, the son of Mary Moody, worked as a laborer. He was married to Cora Robinson when their young child Walter died in 1899 at age one.

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BY JOHN GFROERER PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PRESERVATION ALLIANCE

Our Gold-Leaf Dome POLISHING THE OLD GIRL FOR HER 200TH BIRTHDAY IN 2019

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uring the summer of 2016, the State House dome was surrounded by scaffolding, right up to the eagle. Though people sort of knew what was going on up there, it was still something of a mystery. You could see the scaffolds, you could hear the sounds of hammers and saws, but all of it was too far away, too hidden to get a good look. Word was they were regilding the dome.

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Gold doesn’t stick to itself and there is some overlap when laying down the sheets, so little specks of gold would flutter off in the wind. Some even landed on people below as they walked through the State House Plaza.

In fact, it was perhaps the most extensive restoration of the dome since it was built in 1866. And my job was to take camera in hand and document what was happening up there. No question, it was one of those rare opportunities that was more a privilege than work.

Two years have passed since the work was done, and today the dome shines like new. Just to refresh, you might remember that a few years ago, as the State House neared its bicentennial, it was looking tired. Most obvious was the gold dome littered with black splotches that, from a distance, looked like mold.

At street level the State House was not looking good. Up close it looked even worse. I remember my first time standing next to the dome’s base and seeing the extent of deterioration—the paint flaking off,

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the wood so rotted you could stick a screwdriver into it, the gold that had turned black. An old building looking old.

UP TO THE DOME Some may remember that years ago, if you asked nicely, a tour guide might take you up into the State House dome. But that stopped back in the 1980s when the State House roof became off limits and the dome became off limits along with it. The reason for the change isn’t clear, unless you’ve been up there.

New Hampshire’s State House dome is not easy to access. The route begins at a door on the third floor of the State House. From there a staircase takes you up a flight and a half of steps to another door that opens out onto the roof. During the restoration, everything outside that door was in the con-

struction zone. Hard hats were required for anyone venturing onto the roof.

From the door, you follow a wooden walkway across the roof that leads to a stair/ladder over a three-foot-high wall that marks where the 1909 addition meets the original State House. The wooden walk continues to another door, which gets you into the base of the dome itself. There, a narrow circular stair takes you up to the large windowed room at the base of the dome structure. The stairs continue up to the very top lantern.

A few feet east of the dome—on the roof—is where the stairs for the scaffolding started. To go up the scaffold, hard hats weren’t enough. You also needed to strap into a safety harness. There were 12 levels of scaffolding. The first 10 you accessed by stairs. Each step clanged as your boot fell

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A LITTLE HISTORY

onstruction of the New Hampshire State House began in 1816 and was completed in 1819. As most know, it is the oldest State House in the country where the legislature still meets in its original chamber. In 1909, an addition to the building’s west side doubled the State House in size and gave it the look as we know it today.

The dome was added in 1866 and was originally covered in slate. But in 1965, Governor John King moved along a renovation project that included replacing the slate with copper covered in gold leaf.

upon it, bang, bang, bang, up, up, up. Your steps seemed to ring out and echo back from the State House Annex across Capitol Street.

Each level had a scaffold floor that circled out and around the dome from which the workers could ply their various crafts and trades. As the dome narrowed near its top, the floor for each level tapered in with it. The stairs ended at the base of the top lantern.

Though not a skyscraper by any means, being up there had a precarious feel to it that gave one a sense of what it must’ve been like for the original builders and crafters back in 1866. I don’t imagine they had strong, metal scaffolding and a harness system to save them from a fall.

FACE TO FACE WITH THE EAGLE The last two levels of the dome you got to by climbing an attached ladder, straight up about 20 feet. To make the final ascent more interesting, the ladder, though solidly anchored, rocked slightly from side to side as you climbed. When you got to the upper rung of the ladder you emerged out onto the very top level of the scaffolding—sky above, Concord laid out

down below, and the eagle perched right there in front of you.

Yes, you were very exposed, protected from a fall only by the railing that wrapped around the platform work space or the connection of your harness if you hooked onto that rail.

If heights make you nervous, this was not a place to hang out for the day.

The eagle dominated the space. Tall and still, it was a bit intimidating. You could reach out and touch him as easily as scratching your face. Details like feathers and the pupils of his eyes, the texture of his legs, and the grip of his talons on the ball where he stood all gave him greater presence. They were things you could never have seen or noticed before, even though you’d seen the eagle every time you came to downtown Concord.

There was something sacred about the space, not just at the top but throughout the entire scaffold structure. It called for reverence, respect.

First, there was the potential for falling or tripping. Caution was always on high. But there was something more, something almost spiritual.

It was a space that would only exist for a couple months and be gone just as quickly as it was created. It was a

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THE EAGLE

here have been two eagles on top the State House. The first was made of wood, butternut to be precise, and put into place in 1818. It survived for 139 years until 1957, when a replacement was commissioned.

The new eagle was made of copper by Ralph Raynard of Peabody, Massachusetts. He designed it like a big weather vane, using the original eagle as his model. It is signed inside by all the people who helped Ralph in the construction.

The first layer of gold leaf was applied

by Ralph’s wife Teresa while the eagle stood in the kitchen of their Peabody home. She worked on it between fixing lunch and dinner.

The new eagle was lifted into place on November 11, 1957. The next day Ralph and Teresa’s son was born, and they always equated the New Hampshire eagle with their son’s birthday.

The original wooden eagle is on display at the New Hampshire Historical Society building on Park Street.

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There was something sacred about the space, not just at the top but throughout the entire scaffold structure. It called for reverence, respect.

platform in the air, like a magic carpet circling above the city, flying through spaces you never thought possible to enter. Instead of looking up at a distant dome, it was now right there, inches away. There was a familiarity to it, yet the experience was new and foreign. There was an exhilaration about it.

Standing next to the eagle, you were looking out over Concord, wind blowing, hearing the steady drone of traffic near and distant. For a brief moment you were sharing the eagle’s space, seeing his view, feeling the same wind against your face. You grabbed the rail and took it all in, a fleeting moment of confidence because you made the climb and saw the view with your own eyes.

IN THE DETAIL S For me, it never became routine. Each venture up the scaffolding was different,

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a witness to progress. As work continued through the summer and into the fall, I saw emerge the shine of new lumber, new windows, new paint, and new gold. The craftsmanship, attention to detail, and determination to do the best job possible guided every worker, every task, every nail driven, and every brush of paint applied.

The workers all approached their job with full awareness of their task. To them, we the people entrusted the care and nurturing of a historic space and the opportunity to become part of that space’s history.

Project superintendent Bill Pritchard of DL King & Associates, Inc., general contractor for the work, kept things on schedule. Aaron Jenness, also of DL King, and his crew replaced every window and casing in the top lantern, carefully measuring, cutting, fitting, and refitting for tightness every

piece of wood they used. The rotted pine was replaced with white oak. Every piece was pre-primed before being affixed and then sealed top, bottom, and side to ensure there would be no way for water to get in.

Next time you are near the State House, look up at the row of balusters that circle just below the base of the dome (also known as the spring line). There are 146 of them, and every one is new and, again, made of white oak instead of pine.

Not every part of the project was planned. Lightening protection became an unexpected challenge. In the end, a whole new system was installed. Take a close look and you will notice there are now lightning rods atop every portal window in the dome. The rod sticking up from the eagle’s head is twice as high as before. And I can attest to how tiny the space was that

contractor Will Priestly disappeared into one day—just below the eagle— to install part of that system. I don’t know how he did it.

THE GOLD What we notice most is the new gold on the dome. EverGreene Architectural Arts is responsible for that. Step one was cleaning, which began with stripping off the old gold. Then the copper plate was scrubbed, rinsed, and scrubbed again, sometimes using brushes the size of a toothbrush. The crew cleaned every seam and crevice, bringing a bright shine back to the copper. Then it was covered with primer.

Gold leaf application is a delicate thing. Step one is laying down an adhesive material called size. It paints on clear, like a varnish, and then needs to cure overnight. The size needs to be just the right tackiness for gold leaf to adhere, and if too much time passes, it must be redone.

Gold leaf comes in three-inchsquare sheets. They are made from gold that is hammered so thin it’s almost translucent. Each piece is mounted on a backing paper for easier application, similar to press type. The gilder puts the paper against the surface, gold side down, and then uses a brush or paint roller to push the gold off the paper onto the surface with the size. The paper is removed and a brush is used to permanently affix the gold in place by gently dabbing the bristles against the gold. The process is repeated over and over again.

For larger, flatter surfaces, such as the dome, the gold also came in threeinch-wide rolls, which move things along a bit faster. But for the eagle, full of feathers and indentations, the square sheets worked best.

Gold doesn’t stick to itself and

there is some overlap when laying down the sheets, so little specks of gold would flutter off in the wind.

Some even landed on people below as they walked through the State House Plaza. The day I recorded Jill Eide applying gold to the eagle, I discovered when I got back to my office that my camera had specks of gold covering the housing and lens.

The final step of the process is to buff the gold with a lamb’s wool cloth. This happens a day or two after the gold has been applied. It brings out the shine and polishes away any visible seams so that the gold looks like a solid surface.

We can see the gold shine. But the next time you look up, think of the care and nurturing the crew of three from EverGreene Architectural Arts put into each step of the process.

They were on-site for a month and a half, working Saturdays and often on Sundays. Their attention to detail can’t be seen from the street, but they polished our dome as if it were their most prized trophy.

In November 2016 the scaffolding came down, revealing what looked to be a brand-new dome at the State House. What remains is the shine of the work done. Next time you go by the State House, give a thought to the workers who, in the summer of 2016, polished up the old girl for her bicentennial in 2019.

O

THE PLATFORM

ne of the first things DL King & Associates of Nashua did after the state awarded them the restoration contract was calculate whether the State House roof could support the scaffolding.

To everyone’s surprise, it couldn’t.

So, a special—and permanent—platform was designed that transferred the load weight of the scaffolding to the granite walls of the building. In September 2015, Turnstone Corporation of Milford installed the steel platform around the base of the dome. Concord firefighters were brought in to keep watch as the welding was done, even spending the night at the State House to guard against any possibility of fire from an errant spark. Project manager Gary Brown had a hard time sleeping, worried about getting a call that the State House was on fire.

But the installation went as planned. The steel platform was enclosed and is now a permanent part of the State House, ready to be used again for any future work that may call for scaffolding.

FINAL TALLY • Gold used: 4.5 pounds • White paint: 100 gallons • Weight of scaffold: 12.5 tons • Number of contractors involved: 29 • Project cost: $2.4 million

WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

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EVENT CALENDAR

|

THEATER

•

MUSIC

•

DANCE

•

LECTURE

•

ART

What's Happening In & Around Concord December 1–2

December 13

Concord Dance Academy Annual Holiday Spectacular

Buzz Ball 2018

Audi, 1 & 6pm Sat; 1pm Sun WWW.CONCORDCITYAUDITORIUM.ORG

Capitol Center for the Arts, 7pm CCANH.COM December 15

The Nutcracker Ballet

December 1–2

The Nutcracker Capitol Center for the Arts, 2 & 7pm Sat; 2pm Sun CCANH.COM

Audi, 2pm WWW.CONCORDCITYAUDITORIUM.ORG

January 24

Potted Potter

December 21 December 6

Slam in the Schools! with Mayhem Poets Capitol Center for the Arts, 10am CCANH.COM

New Hampshire School of Ballet: The Nutcracker Audi, 7pm WWW.CONCORDCITYAUDITORIUM.ORG

December 22

December 5

Piccola Opera: Dickens Carolers in Concert

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

Audi, 7pm WWW.CONCORDCITYAUDITORIUM.ORG

Capitol Center for the Arts, 7:30pm CCANH.COM

December 23

Capital Jazz Orchestra Holiday Pops

December 8

Capitol Center for the Arts, 4pm

Lindsey Buckingham

CCANH.COM

Capitol Center for the Arts, 8pm CCANH.COM

January 4–20

Symphony New Hampshire: An Irish Christmas Audi, 3pm WWW.CONCORDCITYAUDITORIUM.ORG

husband Martin, who take him in and serve as his primary caretakers. As time begins to run out, his coping mechanisms become eerily more real and he struggles to make peace with the greatest regrets and secrets of his life.

Hatbox Theatre, 7:30pm Fri & Sat; 2pm Sun HATBOXNH.COM January 10

Fade

December 9

The Olivier Award nominated Potted Potter – The Unauthorized Harry Experience – A Parody by Dan and Jeff takes on the ultimate challenge of condensing all seven Harry Potter books (and a real-life game of Quidditch) into 70 hilarious minutes. Even if you don’t know the difference between a horcrux and a Hufflepuff, Potted Potter will make you roar with laughter.

Capitol Center for the Arts, 7pm CCANH.COM

Fade tells the story of Henry Wilson, a brilliant academic struggling with a difficult, degenerative mental disease. As his memory slowly fades, we witness the effects on his family members, particularly his youngest daughter Aerin and

American Girl Live Join your favorite American Girl characters and the campers as they follow their hearts, share their dreams, and learn the power of friendship.

Capitol Center for the Arts, 7pm CCANH.COM

December 15–31

The Little Mermaid We’ll be making a splash this holiday season with the silliest musical under the sea!

Boo the villain, cheer the hero, and join us for an English tradition that has been a holiday staple since the nineteenth century! We’re proud to bring a little old England to New England!

The Winnipesaukee Playhouse, 10am Dec 20; 11am Dec 27 & 31; 2pm Dec 16, 22, 29 & 30; 7pm Dec 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 WWW.WINNIPESAUKEEPLAYHOUSE.ORG

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W W W. A R O U N D C O N C O R D . C O M

www.aroundconcord.com

January 11

Darlingside Featuring Maine Youth Rock Orchestra

February 7

Capitol Center for the Arts, 8pm CCANH.COM

Capitol Center for the Arts, 7:30pm CCANH.COM

Mnozil Brass

January 15

Dorrance Dance Dorrance Dance is an award-winning tap dance company based out of New York City. The company’s work aims to honor tap dance’s uniquely beautiful history.

Capitol Center for the Arts, 7pm CCANH.COM

January 29

Bolshoi Ballet in HD: Don Quixote Capitol Center for the Arts, 6pm CCANH.COM

February 10

February 23–24

Women Who Move America From the Civil War era to the Oklahoma Dust Bowl period through modern times, women have played an integral, albeit often uncredited role in forming and forging the American

experience. Women Who Move America will take the audience on an exploration of the unique challenges facing women throughout history.

Skilled Storycrafters will perform in character, with first-person accounts of entertaining and inspiring adventures.

Hatbox Theatre, 2pm HATBOXNH.COM

Putting It Together New World Theatre will present six new works at the Hatbox Theatre this season as part of our ongoing play development program. These productions will either be a staged reading or a workshop script-in-hand performance with minimal staging, costumes, and props.

Hatbox Theatre, 6:30pm HATBOXNH.COM

ADVERTISERS INDEX A&B LUMBER ............................................................Back Cover

GOLDSMITH'S GALLERY, LLC ..............................................33

ALAN'S OF BOSCAWEN .................................................29, 53

GRANITE RESTAURANT & BAR...........................................29

AMISH HOMESTEAD .............................................................33

H.R. CLOUGH ........................................................................... 49

ANNIS & ZELLERS, PLLC .........................................................13

HOTEL CONCORD...................................................................23

ARTISAN'S GALLERY ..............................................................37

ICHIBAN JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE ...........................29, 49

February 20

BETTER HEARING CENTER..................................................... 8

JOE KING'S SHOE SHOP ........................................................33

The Sound of Music

BOW PLUMBING & HEATING...............................................13

JOHNNY PRESCOTT HEATING OIL PROPANE. ................ 2

Capitol Center for the Arts, 7:30pm CCANH.COM

CARING GIFTS ..........................................................................33

LAURIE A. ROSATO DMD ...................................................... 11

CELESTE OLIVA ........................................................................33

MAKRIS LOBSTER & STEAK HOUSE ..................................29

December 9

Louise Penny Just in time for the holidays, Louise Penny once again astounds and delights readers with the latest entry in her sublime Chief Inspector Gamache series. She explores the line between sacrifice and sin in Kingdom of the Blind. Hear the New York Times best-selling author discuss her newest novel.

Capitol Center for the Arts, 1pm CCANH.COM

CENTURY 21 THE DESTEFANO CO. ..................................... 8

NICOLE'S GREENHOUSE ........................................................17

CHARTER TRUST ....................................................................... 9

PATS PEAK SKI AREA .............................................................23

COBB HILL CONSTRUCTION ...............................................35

PINE ROCK MANOR .............................................................. 49

CONCORD ANTIQUE GALLERY ..........................................35

RECHIC BOUTIQUE.................................................................33

CONCORD EYE CENTER........................................................ 41

REVIVAL KITCHEN & BAR .....................................................29

CONCORD IMAGING CENTER .............................................15

RUMFORD STONE ..................................... Inside Front Cover

CONCORD ORTHODONTICS ................................................ 7

SERENDIPITY DAY SPA ...........................................................17

CONCORD OTOLARYNGOLOGY .......... Inside Back Cover

SUGAR RIVER BANK............................................................... 19

CONCORD PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY ..................................... 3

THE CENTENNIAL HOTEL ....................................................27

CONSTANTLY PIZZA..............................................................29

UPTON & HATFIELD, LLP........................................................21

CATERING BY DESIGN ...........................................................37

VALPEY FINANCIAL SERVICES, LLC .................................... 5

ENDICOTT FURNITURE ............................................................ 1

VIBES GOURMET BURGERS .................................................29

FRANK WEBB HOME..............................................................53

VINTAGE KITCHENS ............................................................... 41

For more information about print and online advertising opportunities, contact (603) 538-3141 or publisher@aroundconcord.com.

WINTER 2018/2019 | AROUND CONCORD

71

LAST WORD

A Few Favorite

Winter Reads

I

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult Picoult does an incredible job of tackling topics of privilege, prejudice, racial inequalities, and justice, all relevant to the society we live in today. The complexity of the storyline pulled me in immediately.

f you love PBS as much as we do—who doesn’t—then you likely watched part or all of their series The Great American Read. Based on viewer input, PBS selected 100 of the most loved books in the U.S. They then spent a few episodes explaining the various thematic elements of the books with personalities of all stripes explaining their favorite book and why they loved it.

Viewers then were able to vote and in the final episode, and each book was ranked according to preference.

Number one, not surprisingly, was To Kill a Mockingbird.

And, surprisingly, number two was the Outlander series.

Well, in a shameless act of thievery, we present some of our favorite books—a few of which did not make PBS’s list.

This is the best book I’ve ever read. The winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, it melds small, Midwestern town life, the lives of three generations of a reverend’s family, and an unforgettable trek into a wondrous tale with riveting prose. It’s the first book in a trilogy that includes Home (2008) and Lila (2014).

I’m a bit of a binge reader, and these multiple books are super.

John Gfroerer

Lisa Ballard

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas For some it is the supreme tale of revenge. For me, I have always been attracted to the complexity and thoroughness of the Count’s every retribution. They are so calm in their unfolding and perfectly tailored for the intended receiver. I would not consider myself a vengeful person, but if I was, Edmond Dantès would be my guide.

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien I’m an avid hiker and outdoor adventurer, so talk about an epic trek! These books are the only 100-plus-page books I’ve ever read more than once.

Kristy Erickson Love You More Than Anything by Anna Harber Freeman My three-year-old daughter’s favorite bedtime book is Love You More Than Anything by Anna Harber Freeman, and it has become mine as well. With lovely illustrations and rhyming text, this sweet (but not overly sweet) book follows a chipmunk mom and dad who find lots of ways to show their children they love them—even more than chocolate cake.

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Hannah Sampadian

W W W. A R O U N D C O N C O R D . C O M

Ray Carbone The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Irrespective of its historic significance, it’s just a wonderfully written tale with an all-American flavor.

Laura Pope Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

James Buchanan Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches

by John Hodgman You may know John Hodgman from the Apple commercials that feature one actor playing an Apple computer and the other a PC. John is the PC. His past writing has been fun, mostly silly, and creative, but this book is more storytelling and humor as memoir.

It feels somehow connected to my own life’s experiences as a parent, spouse, and with a creative career. I loved it, finished it, put it down for two weeks, and read it again.

Hearing loss and cognitive decline: Is there a connection?

Better hearing benefits brain health.

Oticon, a leader in advanced hearing care for more than a century, believes that more effective and widespread hearing loss treatment could result in a substantial long-term public benefit to brain health. That’s why the company continually explores new ways to make its hearing aids better, more user-friendly, and easily accessible.

Hearing loss: More than just a nuisance.

Hearing loss is a major public health issue, and the most common chronic condition affecting older adults.

Risk of dementia with UNTREATED hearing loss

2x

3x

5x

•Approximately 20 percent of Americans live Normal Mild Hearing Moderate Severe with some degree of hearing loss, according Hearing Loss Hearing Loss Hearing Loss to the Hearing Loss Association of America.

• Research indicates that 80 percent of those with hearing loss don’t seek help; usually because of denial, embarrassment, or simply lack of awareness.

•In addition to cognitive function, hearing loss has been shown to affect physical health, social skills, family relationships, self-esteem and more.

•Studies show that untreated hearing loss can result in depression, poorer job performance and diminished quality of life.

Call today to schedule your complimentary hearing screening and consultation.

194 Pleasant Street, Suite 1, Concord, NH 03301

603-415-3277 (EARS)

91 Hancock Rd., Ste. 5, Peterborough, NH 03458

A. Eliza Evans, Dwight R. Valdez, Nicole Bettencourt, MS, FAAA Audiologist

NE-238419TEST

M.S., FAAA Audiologist

AuD, CCC-A Audiologist

603-547-1660

Noelle Paradis, AuD, FAAA Audiologist

Around Concord One Monitor Drive Concord, NH 03301

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