Around Concord Spring 2020 by Smckenna

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SPRING 2020 VOLUME 13, NO. 1 $4.95

community . culture . lifestyle

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Spring 2020 | Around Concord

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CONTENTS

Get more 14 Spring reading 16 Q&A: The sitdown 58 Don’t Miss It 60 Calendar 68 History 72 Scene in Concord

SPRING 2020, VOLUME 13, NO. 1

Around

CONCORD

>> aroundconcord.com

Profile: Mr. Aaron

Delving into the divine

A spring birding adventure

Folk art gets serious

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Kids’ musician builds a following

An introductory taste of duck confit

10 tips for making the most of your day

Jim Lambert’s work fun and sophisticated

Life inside former church

Two condominium owners give us a tour of their home in the former Sacred Heart Church in downtown Concord, and tell us what the space means to them

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EDITOR’S NOTE

SPRING 2020 VOLUME 13, NO. 1

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CONCORD MONITOR PUBLISHING CO. P.O. BOX 1177 CONCORD, NH 03302 editor@aroundconcord.com

EDITOR Steve Leone DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING Sean McKenna ASSISTANT EDITORS Sarah Pearson Jonathan Van Fleet COPY EDITORS Hannah Sampadian Dana Wormald CONTRIBUTORS Glenn Currie Ray Duckler Geoff Forester Pamela Hunt John Mattes Sarah Pearson Jennifer Spellicy Dana Wormald

Daffodills in full bloom.

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Steve Leone Editor

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As I write this, it is barely mid-March, and we are in the first few days of what we’ll all remember as the coronavirus crisis. The words I wrote just a few days ago about springtime in New Hampshire hardly feel appropriate today as we head off to the printer. Hopefully, once Around Concord reaches your home, we’ll be on steadier ground. If “social distancing” is still the norm, you’ll have the stories, people and places in this magazine to better connect you to your community. You’ll also find a calendar that begins on Page 60. I recommend you check with the venue or the organizers ahead of time to see if the event is still on.

ADVERTISING Maria Adolphson Nicole Barnes Reynold Chase Justin Graybill Laura Guyette John Mattes Thomas Miller Barbara Schmelzer Deb Spaulding

aroundconcord.com CONTACT US We want to hear from you. Send content and advertising inquiries to editor@aroundconcord.com. Around Concord is published quarterly by Monitor Publishing Company copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is stricly prohibited. Around Concord accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork or photographs.

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

READER CONTEST

Design TAKE A RIDE! WIN A WATCH! There was a time when the best way around Concord was a ride in a Concord Coach. This issue we continue a reader contest: Find the four wheels of a Concord Coach hidden within four different ads in this magazine. All winning submissions received by May 15 will be entered into a random drawing for a New Hampshire Watch Company wristwatch, up to $400 retail value, supplied by Speer’s Fine Jewelry.

Form Function A Landscape Architects Collaborative 97 Dow Road • Bow, NH 03304 603.228.2858 • Fax 603.228.2859 Peter Schiess ASLA • landformsltd@aol.com

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There are two ways to enter:  Write down the page numbers of the ads in which the wheels appear on a sheet of paper with your name, address, phone number and email and mail to: Advertising Sales Manager, Around Concord, P.O. Box 1177, Concord, NH 03302-1177; or  Go to the online form at aroundconcord.com/coach and submit the page numbers of the ads along with your name, address, phone number and email. Limit one entry per household. The winner’s name will appear in the summer issue. Good luck! Employees of Newspapers of New England and their families are not eligible to enter.

LANDFORMS NE-317131

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READER CONTEST

Let us guide you through life's financial events, now and in the future.

John Mattes

Joe and Shelley Speer of Speer’s Fine Jewelry, left, congratulate Leslie and Elizabeth Warner of Manchester for winning a $400 New Hampshire Watch Company pocketwatch as part of the Take A Ride! promotion in the Winter issue of Around Concord magazine. The Concord Coach wheel was embedded in ads on pages 20, 34, 47 and 76 of the issue. The contest continues this issue. Details on the facing page.

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Spring 2020 | Around Concord

THE TIP LIST

Fast faves If you want to get to the heartbeat of a community, you walk into an elementary school. So, who better to turn to for this issue’s shout-out to all things Concord than Anthony Blinn, principal of Abbot-Downing School in the city’s South End? Blinn stands out in a crowd (not just due to his height, but, hey, that helps) thanks to his gregarious nature and his obvious connection to the students. But rest assured, when we asked Blinn to give us his favorite people, places and things in Concord, these are his picks – not those of his students. (Sorry, Granite State Candy Shoppe and Altitude trampoline park.)

Abbot-Downing School It’s all about the kids, the staff, the community

Annual Rock ‘N Race Each year, Blinn walks in memory of Noah McIntosh, a young student who passed away after being diagnosed with a rare form of cancer during Blinn’s time as principal in Allenstown. “In education, we often think we inspire kids. Well, kids can inspire educators. . . Noah inspires me!,” said Blinn.

Join the race We have details about the Rock ‘N Race and other running events across the area on Pages 58 and 59.

Barley House A true downtown staple with burgers, beers and a great view of the State House. Whether it’s for lunch, dinner, or just a mid-day snack, you really can’t go wrong.

New Hampshire Lightning softball and Concord Recreation basketball When he’s not in the principal’s office, Blinn can often be found on the sidelines, coaching his children, as well as youth softball and basketball players across the area. The girls on the team, he notes, call themselves the Sassy Sunday Sistahs.

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SPRING READING LIST

Off the shelf

Spring has arrived, bringing new blooms to the earth and new books to shelves. Here are some titles to look out for. These authors have visited or plan to visit Concord through Gibson’s Bookstore with their missives so you can learn more about them there. Sarah Pearson

“The Red Lotus” By Chris Bohjalian Mystery abounds in bestselling Vermont author Chris Bohjalian’s newest release, The Red Lotus. An American man named Austin disappears during a vacation in Vietnam with his girlfriend, Alexis. They ’d planned to do some cycling and honor Austin’s father’s and uncle’s war service. As she searches for her vanished boyfriend and deals with the FBI, Alexis begins to question Austin’s motives for the trip and whether she is in danger. The book was released in March by Doubleday Press. Bohjalian visted Concord in March.

“The Splendid and the Vile” By Erik Larson Larson’s latest work, The Splendid and the Vile, is a portrait of Winston Churchill during the second World War. Larson delves into diaries, documents and declassified intelligence reports, and looks at the prime minister ’s political maneuvering and domestic life while inspiring his country, and the allied forces, during the darkest days of the war. The book was released in February from Random House. Larson will be at the Concord City Auditorium March 27 at 7 p.m.

“Rage Baking” By Katherine Alford and Kathy Gunst Some cope with today’s political climate with protests, marches, petitions and letters to senators. But for Katherine Alford and Kathy Gunst, they express their feelings in cookies and pies. Rage Baking: The Transformative Power of Flour, Fury and Women’s Voices includes more than 50 recipes as well as short essays and quotes from well-known women bakers and activists. Timely, fun, and creative, Rage Baking unites like-minded women who are passionate about baking and change. The book was released in February from Tiller Press. The authors will visit Gibson’s Bookstore on May 6 at 6 p.m.

“Barker House” By David Moloney Nine N.H. correctional officers’ lives are intertwined in David Moloney’s new novel. Moloney, who worked in the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections before getting degrees in writing, reveals the precarious world of jailers. Characters include veteran guards who get by through power-mongering, rookies, and the only female officer on the shift. They are brought together when death comes for one in their ranks. The book will be released by Bloomsbury Publishing on April 7. Moloney will visit Gibson’s on April 16 at 6 p.m. 14

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“What’s It’s Like to Be a Bird” By David Allen Sibley David Allen Sibley has a new book with (mostly) life-size illustrations and lots of information. This large format book will answer all those questions about birds you have chirping in your mind, whether you’re an avian enthusiast or a casual observer. The book will be released April 14 by Knopf. Sibley will visit Gibson’s on April 17 at 6 p.m.

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THE SIT-DOWN

Walk right into his Main Street boutique and A.J. Silva just may have the dress for you A.J. Silva is a passionate, high-energy retail veteran who recently returned to Concord with a new store on Main Street, Arnaldo Joseph Boutique. He sat down with John Mattes to discuss the past, present and future of his business and why Concord is such a perfect fit. JM: So here we are on Main Street. But you were here on Main Street before. AJS: Six almost seven years ago. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always loved Concord, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always loved the retail business. And one day [almost 10 years ago] I was in a candy shop on Warren Street having an ice cream and I saw that there was a little shop that was vacant. And I knew I wanted to get back into it, so I opened up there. And then eventually a spot opened up on Main Street. So I opened there, a bridal shop named Bravo, and I was there for a year and a half. 16

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Arnaldo Joseph Boutique, above, and A.J. Silva, inset.

Courtesy

JM: What is it about Concord that keeps you coming back? AJS: Concord is like the little city with a big city feel to it. And no matter where you go, women want to be stylish and find wonderful, different things that are beautiful but affordable, and that’s what I try to bring into the city. And I have an amazing client base. So I just had to come back. My thing is I love to have a customer come in – this just happened the other day – mother and daughter came in looking for a dress for a wedding, for the mother. I just gave her one dress. She put it on. Bought it. Couldn’t believe it. And then the daughter says, “If you can do that for my mom, do it for me.” So I gave her one dress. She put it on and she bought it. I just love making people feel beautiful. And if I don’t like it, I don’t sell it. JM: That’s so smart. AJS: And I tell all my employees that, too, because that person is going to go out and represent us. And we want everybody to ask them, “Where did you get that?” And there has to be positive feedback. Sales are not worth making if they’re not perfect. JM: I don’t see any bridal gowns here. AJS: No, I used to do bridal. I did bridal for 27 years. And I had my own label. And that’s a business in itself. So now I do this . . . And someone comes in, they see something and they take it home with them. It’s just so much easier! I have another store in Bedford at the Bedford Village Inn . . . And that was after I had opened this store in its former location last February. We opened the Bedford store in October, and that took off like crazy . . . It’s an amazing spot! So that runs itself, and I have four ladies who run that. And [the Concord Main Street store] comes about in January. So here we are! JM: What’s your way of describing the couture, your style? AJS: It’s almost, how do I say it, conservative with a flair. I try to bring

things into the city that you’re not going to see everywhere else. All the pieces make a statement, but in a simple way. That’s a good way to put it, I think. I try to pick beautiful fabrics, beautiful styles. It’s definitely not for the shy, let’s put it that way. People come in and they look at our prices and they just can’t believe what we have. Because it looks a lot more expensive from the outside. But when you come in people are pleasantly surprised. My stores have always looked special. When you walk in, you’re visually . . . all your senses are awakened. I usually have a candle going, your visual senses get heightened. . . . I don’t want to have just a basic looking store. Like this dressing room area. I didn’t want to just have a carpenter come in, put up some wallpaper there and throw down a little rug. Visually, I wanted to make it look special, emotionally I want to make my customers feel special. JM: I noticed you have a good bit of jewelry here, too. What percentage of your business is accessories? AJS: I try to bring in accessories that are from casual to very dressy. Again, with jewelry, you can come in and buy a pair of leather earrings for $18, or a necklace set for $200. Here, we have sterling silver with cubic zirconia, but the workmanship. I buy the best that I can, so that some of these earrings look like heirlooms, but they’re not. There’s something for everyone. So you can say, “when you’re at Arnaldo’s you can go from the beach to the ballroom.” I just made that up; I like that. JM: You were just in New York City this week . . . AJS: Yeah, I go every two weeks or so. I’ll sometimes just go in to look at windows. And I love that. I’ll walk on Seventh Avenue, up and down, 70 blocks and I won’t care, just to rejuvenate yourself. But Concord is wonderful to come home to, there’s an energy to it, and it’s actually changed quite a bit since I was here last. JM: That’s interesting. How has it

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Spring 2020 | Around Concord

changed? AJS: Well, I just think the rejuvenation of Main Street. I had left just prior to it starting. So now you come in and it just feels different. I don’t know what it is, but it feels completely different to when I was here last. And although it’s been cold and winter, I think by springtime it’s going to change. And the traffic, especially on Main Street, will be changing, I’m hoping anyway. There’s a certain sophistication here. And maybe it’s because the state capitol building is two streets down. It impresses me in a way. And as I said, I wanted to open up a shop here, and I did, and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. This is my main focus, it’s Main Street now. Bedford takes care of itself. So now it’s just to concentrate here. JM: What is the newest line that you’ve put in that you’re excited about? AJS: This is a line called Aratta, these print shirts, these simple little

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dresses. You walk in a room, people are going to notice you in this dress. It’s different, but there’s nothing gawdy about it. We also have a line, Cactus, that’s casual wear, linens, a little summery little slip dress that you could wear to the grocery store, and then they have beautiful linen pants and tops that you could put on and go to dinner in on a hot summer night. And their prices are extraordinary for linens. Again, from beach to ballroom. JM: Is there anything else that you’d like people to know about the store? AJS: Yes. When someone comes in, whether they’re a size 2 or a size 22, we try to carry things for all sizes, which I think is very, very important. Some stores have a very small selection. And if we don’t have it we can make a special order. Especially for that woman who’s full-figured, it’s important for her to find something that’s stylish. 

Oh, that dress

AJS: Quick story. This beautiful woman comes in. She says, “I hear you make custom gowns.” She was running for something small like Miss Chelmsford. Her name was Shawnae Jebbia. So I made her a dress, and she won her local. Now she’s going to the state. She said, “AJ make me whatever you want for the state.” So I made her her state dress and she won Miss Massachusetts. So then, she came to me, and said, “AJ, I’m going to go for Miss USA. Make me whatever you think.” “We’re going to make you a strapless fitted, silk chiffon dress, champagne-colored.” And remember no one wore this at a pageant but I wanted her to be understated. “And then we’re going to crystallize the shoulders and make you a necklace, and we’re going to make you a long shawl that’s gonna drag when you walk and then it’s gonna flow.” And she said, “But AJ no one’s gonna wear that at a pageant.” And I said, “Shawnee, you are!” So then at Miss USA, we got highest scored evening gown, we got 9.5-something, and then she won Miss USA 1998!

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NEIGHBORHOOD PROFILE

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mr. Rogers and the Pied Piper rolled into one, jamming on different instruments, singing, inspiring, educating, moving and, of course, smiling. 20

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Jammin‘ with the young’uns Upbeat Concord musician Mr. Aaron creates melodic play-land for children By RAY DUCKLER

Geoff Forester

Mr. Aaron has a real connection with children as he goes through his routine at the Rattle Box Theatre in Concord.

Mr. Aaron, a wiry, professional musician with disheveled hair and a disarming smile, tried to pull a fast one on his young students the other day. He strummed his acoustic guitar in front of a class of about 20 kids. He sang a song, one we all know, called “Wheels on the Bus.” He played it straight at first, singing to the children – a combo of babies and others a few years older – that the wheels on the bus “go round and round.” And then he sang that the wipers on that same bus go “swish, swish, swish.” Then, oddly, he claimed the driver on that bus “says quack.” “Quack, quack, quack,” if you’re scoring at home. Mr. Aaron paused for a second, his wide eyes widening, scanning the class, waiting, hoping, and it didn’t take long for the kids to react. At least those old enough to have understood that they were being conned. Tested,

really. They waved their hands, fidgeted in their spots on the carpetedfloor and, in unison, yelled “Nooooo,” with the innocence of a kitten. They knew what the driver really had said. Always says. “Move on back,” a few countered, reminding their suddenly absent-minded teacher. After everyone had left the Rattlebox Studio on Thorndike Street, Mr. Aaron explained his strategy. He had gauged the level of focus in his class. Attention spans must be taken into consideration. “It’s to see if they’re not paying attention,” said Mr. Aaron, known as Aaron Jones to adults, explaining his staged gaffe. “And sometimes you see that they’re not listening, but these ones were sharp. They paid attention.” It’s tough not to, because Mr. Aaron, 33, leaves the children with little choice. No choice, really. Not when the kids see a smile the size of a slice

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Maxine Smith, 2, was entranced as she watched Mr. Aaron perform at the Rattle Box Theatre in Concord.

of cantaloupe, belonging to a teacher who, everyone insists, remembers his students’ names after just one class. “Not always, but often,” Mr. Aaron admitted after class. “It’s been really important developmentally for kids to hear their names, so that is something I have practiced hugely. I don’t know the parents’ names, but I know the kids’ names.” He’s Mr. Rogers and the Pied Piper rolled into one, jamming on different

instruments, singing, inspiring, educating, moving and, of course, smiling. He started singing at 10 a.m. sharp, then sparked conversation and asked questions and then sang some more. The kids danced and moved around a lot, some cooperating more than others. One little boy in a red sweatsuit had time for exercise, zipping around the classroom in separate bursts of energy, forever trailed by his aunt. The one-hour session at the Con-

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cord Community Arts Center revealed the many sides to Mr. Aaron’s career, the separate paths he’s been introducing to children since moving to Concord from New York City five years ago with his wife, Anna. They have two kids, another on the way. And as in life, Mr. Aaron knows he must improvise to make things work. Asked before class, while twisting together his clarinet saxophone, if he had prepared a set list, Mr. Aaron said: “I have a plan, but I have to be ready to adapt, so nothing is rigid. Change is the only constant.” That’s true in the music field as well. Before he became Mr. Aaron, he was Aaron Jones. He grew up in Atlanta and settled in New York City for 10 years, attending graduate school at New York University, teaching music classes and playing gigs. In 2013 he made a late-night appearance on David Letterman’s show – “Didn’t get to meet him, but I got to shake his hand.” – while touring with Luscious Jackson, an indie rock band

Mr. Aaron always plays the leading role in his boisterous music class.

that built a nice fan base through the 1990s and garnered great reviews from major publications. He’s been commissioned to write scores for college productions, including at UMass Amherst and James Madison University. He played for adults in New York City clubs, and he learned Kindie (get it?) music with a band called Karen K and the Jitterbugs, which inspired him to pursue a very specialized style of music. He and Anna, whom he met at NYU, moved to Concord 4½ years ago, choosing to raise their fam-

Geoff Forester

ily near Anna’s parents, who live in Hopkinton. Around here, Mr. Aaron’s band has played at Red River Theatres, Flipz Gymnastics, local farmers markets, yoga centers, even the Capitol Center for the Arts. His Rattlebox Studio is filled with song and dance. His class features two large, rectangular rugs, connected side by side, each displaying a print of a large guitar. That’s where the kids sat, and that’s where the action took place, the focus of Mr. Aaron’s attention as he strummed those

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

He once shared a stage on the Letterman show. He’s done a 180 since, producing a smorgasbord of sights and sounds for children, most of whom have not started grade school yet. He got a taste of this genre while playing with Karen Kalafatas of Karen K and the Jitterburgs in New York City. chords, sang those songs, much of it his own stuff. His hair these days still has a mind of its own, but it’s much shorter and not as red as the hair you’ll notice on a video showing Mr. Aaron on Letterman’s stage seven years ago, strumming in the background. There, his hair bounces and the band rocks, playing a song called “Show Us What You Got,” with a leather-clad frontwoman and a hard-driving, metal beat. He’s done a 180 since, producing a smorgasbord of sights and sounds for children, most of whom have not started grade school yet. He got a taste of this genre while playing with

Karen Kalafatas of Karen K and the Jitterburgs in New York City. “I played with her bands doing kids music concerts and that was sort of my formative kids’ music experience,” Mr. Aaron said. His family was growing. He grew tired of city life. He and his wife moved here to be closer to her family, and now he runs the studio while the couple waits for their third child. Registration for the classes happened near the door, with Mr. Aaron personally signing in the children. Then, shoes off, before the students sat and the adults lined the periphery, surrounding this bundle of energy and anticipation. Mr. Aaron went on

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at 10 a.m. sharp, standing in front of four huge windows that framed the South End. The place was packed. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, all there to see Mr. Aaron cast his unique spell over his audience, energizing them to dance, stretch, sing, wonder. Michael Davis of Hillsborough was there with his daughter, Kimberly Cortino, and his 2-year-old granddaughter, Marley. She was shy and wore black glasses, and her mother said her daughter was hard of hearing. “We keep coming back every week because she loves it,” Cortino said. “She does a lot of sign language, so (Mr. Aaron ) has even taken the time to learn some sign language for her.” Nearby stood Davis, a landscaper, and a big one, who wore a black Harley Davidson T-shirt, blue jeans and a long goatee. His edgy aura, however, melted away into a smile for his granddaughter, who was held by Cortino. “First time I’ve been here,” Davis told me. “I thought it was cool. She loves music.” They heard Mr. Aaron sing “All My Friends are Giants” and “The La-La Song,” watched him lead the class in a kangaroo hop, shook and moved to his lightning-fast guitar chords and staccato bursts from his clarinet saxophone. “All I know about is music,” Mr. Aaron said afterward. “Just the experience of doing this and now having my own kids, I stay patient and I try to stay on their wavelength and pay attention to what’s going on. Be ready to adapt and bail, maybe end a song early.” Or not. On this day, this class was listening to the words, so they knew. Bus drivers don’t quack. 

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Delving into the

DIVINE Why duck – a delectable waterfowl – deserves to be a culinary mainstay Story and photos by JENNIFER SPELLICY

At Loudonshire Farm in Loudon, just 20 minutes from Concord, ducks can be seen roaming the property. While most in America have limited experience cooking with the delectable bird, some of the state’s top chefs are leading the way. RECIPE, PAGE 30

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Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Jim and Anette Czack, owners of Loudonshire Farm in Loudon, have partnerships with four New Hampshire restuarants, including Revival Kitchen and Bar in downtown Concord. Jennifer Spellicy

A culinary introduction By JENNIFER SPELLICY While duck enjoys widespread popularity with both restaurant chefs and home cooks in France and other places in the world, it’s puzzling that it’s never gained much of a culinary foothold here in the United States. In recent years we’ve seen heretofore unpopular foods like kale and brussels sprouts made trendy due to dishes that creatively highlighted the ingredient – Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts anyone? It stands to reason that duck could also enjoy the popularity it deserves if there were more duck breeders and if more restaurants offered it on their menus in new and interesting ways. Thankfully, there are people here in New Hampshire who are helping bring about this change. Jim Czack and his wife Annette own Loudonshire Farm in Loudon, located less than 20 minutes from downtown Concord. They don’t sell their products to the

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public, but they’re suppliers to four restaurants in New Hampshire whose chefs are partnered with Jim and Annette in their commitment to breed heritage livestock, poultry and waterfowl that are not genetically manipulated or raised in feedlots. When I had the pleasure of visiting Loudonshire Farm this past December, Jim graciously cooked one of his duck breasts for me to taste. It was sublime: tender, juicy and surprisingly similar to beef tenderloin. The texture and flavor of his duck was better than any I’ve ever tasted. Admittedly, I’m now an avid fan of duck and have been for years, but similar to a lot of people I had almost no exposure to it in my childhood. When I was growing up, like many Americans, chicken made an appearance most regularly on our dinner plates. Sometimes there were pork chops, and less frequently beef roasts or steak, but our fam-

ily never once ate duck. The first time I tried it was in the Southwest of France at a restaurant in Lauzerte, a tiny medieval village located high on a hill-top in the scenic Midi-Pyrenees. My husband and I were touring the area and needed to find a place to have lunch. The only restaurant open in the rather deserted village that day was Auberge des Carmes, which we almost passed on because it didn’t look promising as there were no patrons inside. With no other prospects in sight, and our hunger growing by the minute, we decided to chance it. We sat at a table covered with a classic red-checkered tablecloth and dubiously examined the minimalist menu. There were few choices and all were unfamiliar to us so we asked our server for some guidance. Upon her suggestion, we both ordered the house specialty: Confit de Canard avec des Pommes Frites (duck confit with french fries). Confit is from the French word confire “to preserve” and simply refers to any type of preserved meat that has been salted to draw out the moisture, then cooked in, and ‘put up’ in fat. The beauty of confit is that the process itself changes the meat, creating an entirely new taste and texture. Clueless as to what we were in for, we discovered that the duck confit was meltingly tender, almost

falling off the bone, and so much more flavorful than poultry could ever be. We were also pleasantly surprised that alongside our meal we were served a generous portion of buttery, sauteed green beans and a crisp, green salad tossed in a lemony vinaigrette. A lovely bottle of locally produced Malbec wine – Chateau Lagrezette – was a natural accompaniment to the richness of the confit and other flavors in our gourmet repast. Any skepticism we previously had about eating duck swiftly vanished as we plowed through our meal, relishing every morsel. Our experience at that humble cafe in Lauzerte expanded our culinary horizons – we now evangelize to our oft skeptical American friends the lusciousness of duck whenever the opportunity presents itself. If you don’t have the good fortune of traveling to France and trying duck there, you may have the opportunity to taste some of Loudonshire Farm’s duck along with goose and lamb, which are seasonally featured on the menus at four local New Hampshire restaurants: Revival Kitchen and Bar in Concord; Greenleaf in Milford; Otis in Exeter; and Stages at One Washington in Dover. Check online or contact the restaurant ahead to hear which Loudonshire Farm products are on the menu. 

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An exquisite journey for the palate Traditional Confit de Canard If you find yourself in possession of some duck legs, it’s not too difficult to reproduce that classic French dish: Confit de Canard (duck confit) at home. Despite the large amounts of rendered fat used in the preparation and storage, there is nothing greasy about it. Rather, the texture is nutty, silky, delicate, and almost fatfree. Serve your confit with french fries, green beans and a tossed green salad as the French often do. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy! INGREDIENTS 5 pounds duck legs (Pekin, Moulard or Muscovy) 3 T plus 1 tsp coarse Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 2 tsp per pound of meat 1 ½ T coarsely chopped shallots 1 tsp coarsely chopped fresh garlic plus 1 whole head of garlic, halved crosswise 1 ½ T chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 tsp black peppercorns, lightly crushed 1 bay leaf, crumbled 1 sprig of fresh thyme, chopped or a large pinch of dried thyme 6 cups rendered duck or goose fat 2 whole cloves 30

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DIRECTIONS 1. Cure the duck: Rinse duck pieces and dry thoroughly. In a large bowl, toss the duck with the salt, shallots, chopped garlic, parsley, peppercorns, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours. 2. Rinse the marinated duck pieces under cold running water to rinse off the salt and seasonings. Drain briefly. Place the rendered duck fat in a large, very heavy pot and melt over low heat. 3. Stick a whole clove into each half-head of garlic and add to the melted fat. Slip in the pieces of duck. Cook, uncovered in the pot until the fat reaches 190 degrees. This should take about 1 hour; faster heating will result in stringy texture. Add additional rendered fat, if necessary to cover the duck. Continue cooking at 192 degrees to 210 degrees, but no higher, adjusting the heat level as necessary, for another 1 hour or up to 2 hours until a toothpick pierces the thickest part of a thigh easily. Remove from the heat and let the duck cool in the fat for 1 hour. 4. Meanwhile, set out three 1quart crocks, tupperware-style containers or large glass jars. Pour boiling water into each container; swirl

and pour out. Thoroughly dry the inside of the containers. 5. Transfer the duck legs to the containers filling each about ¾ full without overcrowding. 6. Carefully pour the rendered fat over the duck legs and leave a generous inch of air space between the surface of the fat and the rim of the container. 7. Place containers in the refrigerator and use within one week, or freeze for up to 6 months. 8. Reheat your duck legs: Bring the container to room temperature and carefully remove the legs from the fat. Heat up a frying pan and place the duck legs in the hot pan and heat thoroughly until the skin crisps up. PAIRINGS Wines to pair with duck that are available at N.H. Wine and Liquor Outlet: Malbec: Chateau de Cénac Cuvée Prestige, Cahors, France Pinot Noir: Hangtime Pinot Noir, California Pinot Noir: A Bichot Fixin Pinot Noir, Burgundy, France Zinfandel: Omen Zinfandel, California Pinot Gris: Hugel Alsace Pinot Gris Classic, Alsace, France

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Sacred Hearth

Above: The former Sacred Heart Cathedral, now a condo development, has maintained its visual presence in downtown Concord. Left: Vicki Patric relaxes at home.

Photography By GEOFF FORESTER From the outside, the sandstone Gothic structure stands as a looming testament to both faith and to the French Canadian immigrants who built their beloved church in 1934 at the height of the Great Depression. While the drive-by view has been preserved to pay homage to its place in Concord history, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the interior that redefines space and time. Concord developer Jon Chorlian saved Sacred Heart Church on Pleasant Street from the wrecking ball by transforming all its blessed corners into 10 luxury condominiums that incorporate the past into the future. Condo owners Steve Del Giudice and Vicki Patric gave Around Concord a tour of their new home.

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Above: Welcome to a condominium like no other. The 18 stairs lead up to the main living area, which then opens with an expansive view of a living space dominated by large church windows. This photograph is taken from the site of the former altar.

Left: Interior views show how the church windows were incorporated into the living spaces.

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Some of the stained glass remains in the area that was once the apse of the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church in downtown Concord.

One of the Gothic spires can be seen through the window in the kitchen that once was made out of stained glass.

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Above: The living room in the former apse in the back of the former church is dominated by rich acoustics, sweeping views of downtown and an abundance of natural light.

Left: Vicki Patric steps onto the porch off the kitchen of the condo she shares with Steve Del Giudice.

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Geoff Forester

Steve Del Giudice and Vicki Patric in the kitchen of their condo in the former Sacred Heart Church.

Majesty, history and pride By STEVE DEL GIUDICE and VICKI PATRIC When people find out where we live, they often ask, “What’s it like living in a church?” The answer is, “It’s great.” It wasn’t planned this way. We had only two criteria when we moved a few years ago: we wanted to be walking distance to downtown Concord and to live in a condo built by Jon Chorlian. We’ve known Jon for years and trusted his work, especially his vision to create spaces for the way people live. Jon, along with architect John Jordan, transformed the Sacred Heart Church into 10 condos. Each one is comfortable and elegant on the inside. On the outside, little has changed from the appearance of this sandstone Gothic building. During the construction phase, we could see that many of the architectural features would be preserved: tall arched ceilings, enormous stainedglass windows, the giant capitals. In some way, we felt the building had its own civil rights – a guid-

ing principle to keep what was created to be frontand-center. That’s what we tried to do with design and decor. In the end, we got more than we hoped for. The living area is on the second floor in one flowing room with abundant sunlight and a view of the State House. Music fills the space in a special way. The name of our condominium association is Bienvenue. It reflects the building’s French-Canadian origins and the welcoming attitude that we, as residents, try to foster with each other – our esprit d’corps. We all share an appreciation for the beauty and history of where we live. And we all like to walk downtown. This building will be here long after we’re gone. We don’t own it as much as we’re acting as stewards – caring for it as we pass through. During the Middle Ages, people built churches like the one we converted into our home, to create a sense of awe, majesty, civic pride, and to point toward a power greater than oneself. It’s a design that still works.

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Wet fields in early spring can be great places to find migrating waterfowl. Can you find all four species in this photo?

Pamela Hunt

On a good day in May you might find 20-plus species of warbler, such as this male Northern Parula.

NOPA

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With one rare Tricolored Heron, Snowy Egrets show breeding plumes in Rye.

Rebecca Suomala

10 TIPS

for your spring birding adventure By PAMELA HUNT / New Hampshire Audubon

ON THE COVER The Cape May Warbler nests in Canada and migrates through New Hampshire. Rebecca Suomala

TAKE A HIKE Here, you’ll read all about the gobs of birds you can find across the state this spring. But put your newfound knowledge to good use. We offer a guided hike in Concord built for the birds. Page 45

One of the sure signs that spring has finally reached New Hampshire is the return of migratory birds. Bird migration actually starts in late February up here, with the first northbound waterfowl and blackbirds. The peak, however, occurs from mid-April to the end of May, when birds that spent the winter south of the United States finally start to reach their northern breeding grounds. Bird diversity peaks during this time, with warblers in the treetops, ducks on the ponds, and sandpipers along the beaches, and it should thus come as no surprise that birders try to pack as much outdoor time into those six weeks as possible. So if you’ve always wondered what this “birding” thing is all about, there’s no better season than spring to try it out. Birds are in their colorful breeding plumage, they’re often singing, and right now, there aren’t many leaves to get in the way. To help you along, here are 10 simple things that all birders should know and embrace. They’ll make you a better birder, and hopefully Barred Owls nest in early serve you well for the many years of birding to spring, often before the snow is gone, and can be follow! heard calling at night. Ten Tips for the Beginner Spring Birder: Zeke Cornell 1. Get up early. Birds can actually get worms at any time of day, but the early birder is much more likely to find what they’re looking for. Birds are far more active first thing in the morning. They’ve just fasted all night and are actively feeding. Singing also peaks for a few hours after sunrise. While this doesn’t mean you need to get up at dawn (it is, however, highly recommended!), heading out after noon is far more likely to be disappointing.

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

2. Location, location, location. While birds are literally everywhere in the spring, your chances of finding multiple species and high numbers depends on where you look. Habitat edges provide both easy viewing and often birds typical of multiple habitats. Wetlands, with their abundant insects, can also be hot spots. Small patches of vegetation in more urban surroundings, such as parks and cemeteries, can be magnets to birds looking for a safe place to rest and refuel. 3. Watch the weather. Just like people, birds respond to local weather conditions in predictable ways. They’re far less active when it’s raining (although they still need to eat) and on hot days, and they can be hard to hear if it’s too windy. During migration, overnight winds from the south often help birds along, and the following morning can yield all manner of newly-arrived feathered gems if you know where to look.

Careful searching of wetlands can yield secretive species like this American Bittern.

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4. Know what’s possible. Identifying birds is far more than field marks. Knowing the seasonal timing of arrivals, habitat preferences, and distribution is critical when you need to narrow down a list of possible species to choose from. For example, Common Mergansers are almost always on freshwater, while the similar Red-breasteds are usually on the ocean. With respect to timing, a Blackpoll Warbler could occur anywhere in New Hampshire in late May (even where it doesn’t breed), but would be extremely unusual before the first week in May. It takes time to learn birds’ seasonal schedules (eBird can help, see below), but it’s time well spent. 5. Listen. Learning bird songs and calls can be hard, but sound can be a critical cue to help you find birds. Even if you don’t know what it is, tracking down the source of an unfamiliar noise may reward you with a visual identification. At the same

If you know where to go and when, you may well spot a Green Heron.

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time, listing to it over and over while you search is more likely to lead to learning the song for future reference. A corollary to this tip: speak quietly when birding; it helps you hear and is less likely to disturb the birds. 6. Join a group. Conservation organizations offer field trips all over the state, and there is no better way to learn than to accompany other birders. People leading these types of outings are often excellent teachers, especially good at helping new birders. 7. Learn to use eBird. Birding has most definitely entered the digital age, with all manner of resources now available for all skill levels. For up-to-date information on local sightings, plus a way to keep track of your own, I recommend the online database eBird, managed by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. As an

Handy digital tools like eBird can help you identify a Great Egret

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added bonus, the data submitted through eBird is increasingly used for scientific research and conservation. 8. Get good binoculars. This seems pretty obvious, but I have led field trips where participants actually don’t have the means to see birds – which are often at some distance. You can get a reasonable pair for under $200, and they make all the difference in the world once you know how to use them (which isn’t hard). 9. Get outside. Sure, you can watch birds at your feeders, and that’s a great way to learn many of the common species, but they are just a small sample of the birds that are out there to see. To become familiar with all that the Granite State has to offer, you’ll need to spend time in nature – and who’d argue with that?! Just don’t forget to get up early.

An Eastern Bluebird perched on las year’s sunflower stalks at the Concord Community Gardens.

Rebecca Suomala.

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10. Stay outside. This one is so important I had to use it twice. There is no substitute for experience when it comes to becoming a better birder. And even if you don’t find as many birds as you might like, you will still be enjoying the beauty of New Hampshire in spring! Helpful links  New Hampshire Audubon leads birding field trips all over the state, including walks for beginning birders. Find event listings and special beginning bird classes at nhaudubon.org.  To see what birds are spotted in your area and to add your own sightings, visit eBird at ebird.org /nh/home.  All About Birds is an excellent website for bird identification, from Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology: allaboutbirds.org/guide/search. 

This Eastern Whip-poor-will called for just one night last May at the Concord Community Gardens but they can be found at the Karner Blue Easement by the Concord Airport. The eye color is “eyeshine” from reflected light.

Rebecca Suomala

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Come fall, you’ve probably roamed Carter Hill Orchard to fill up on pick-your-own apples and blueberries, or maybe you’ve stopped in for cider doughnuts and pies. The expansive farm in west Concord is worth visiting other times of the year, too. There, in addition to picking up some of the bounty of the season, you can also soak in some of the best views in the city. You’ll find about two miles of fairly easy trails that snake along the historic property, which once belonged to the Abbott family. (Not the Abbots of Abbot-Downing fame.) Your 90-minute walk will take you past the Macoun, MacIntosh and Cortland apple trees that make this property so well known in the area. You’ll also get a sweeping

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view of pristine Penacook Lake, which serves as the city’s water source. The hike circles back to the parking lot, where you’ll see a viewing platform that’s popular with bird watchers from across the area. From on high, you also get majestic views of 19 mountains, the clearest of which is nearby Mount Kearsarge. Each fall the New Hampshire Audubon uses the site as a raptor observatory. If you bring your binoculars and hang out for a bit, you can help contribute to the count. The data collected starting in September is submitted to the Hawk Migration Association of North America. But no need to wait until fall. Many birds are awaiting your springtime visit. Spring 2020 | Around Concord

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Winter’s hours make

Spring flowers

Inside Cole Gardens’ glasshouse Photography by Geoff Forester

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Local roots, national growth Above: Doug Cole of D.S. Cole Growers in Loudon sells flowers all over New England as well as parts of the United States and Canada, all from plants grown inside the 5-acre indoor facility. The wholesale greenhouse operation was launched in 1987, and has since grown significantly.

Lots to manage Left: Prem Bhujel, the indoor project manager of D.S. Cole Growers, oversees the facility. The operation includes between 40 and 80 employees, with a peak in February and March.

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Quality-control Marcie Keene inspects Trixies at their massive indoor facility.

Finding the red roses and the blue violets A sign details plants being grown in a specific area of the facility, as well as a listing for upcoming poetry reading.

Problem-solving Left: Stephanie Smith cleans out a water filter. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one of the many tasks that helps keep the facility humming along.

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Outside, looking in Right: The entrance of D.S. Cole Growers in Loudon leads to the 5-acre glasshouse that sits on 100 acres in Loudon.

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Left: A close-up of Ipomoea Marguerite, among the many kids of plants grown and shipped in Loudon. The most popular plant they sell in North America is the young Rex Begonia, which others will pot and continue to grow. Many other kinds of Begonias are sold as finished plants at garden centers.

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Spring 2020 | Around Concord

Folk art mastery Jim Lambertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work is widely collected in Concord and beyond

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SERIOUS ART Hillsborough folk artist Jim Lambert is among the many stars of the League of N.H. Craftsmen Gallery

This sun keeps rising ‘CBS This Morning’ has featured one of Lambert’s famous suns

Story and Photos By DANA WORMALD Jim Lambert’s folk art is whimsical. His entrance into the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Gallery in downtown Concord on the first truly spring-like day of the year is anything but. The Hillsborough artist, 73, is awkwardly carrying an armload of new pieces – old wood made colorful and timeless – that would soon be set out for sale. And he has to use the bathroom. Both are perfectly legitimate reasons to hurry past a waiting party of three with a curt nod instead of the near-universal hello-with-a-smile. After a few minutes he emerges from the back of the store, and hellos are exchanged again followed by some re-introductions. Still no smile.

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

A serious artist “I’m not that serious of a person, but I see my work as being very serious.”

Lambert, 73, is amazed by how people respond to his work

JIM LAMBERT Minutes later, on a sunny sidewalk that feels much warmer than the reported 50 degrees, he sits in a folding chair and earnestly answers questions

for nearly an hour about his work and the many people who collect it. He doesn’t smile – and even his chuckles are delivered deadpan.

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To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with any of that; stoicism is a New England pastime. It’s odd only because Lambert’s work, from notion to creation, is utterly playful. The old lady wearing a fox-head stole and holding a “Wash Your Hands” sign, the mermaid in a fishbowl, the hopping bunny adorned with yellow flowers – these are pieces that even while thought-provoking are instantly, joyfully recognizable. They are made to catch eyes – and smiles. But most of what you’ve just read about Jim Lambert and his work is wrong, as he himself will tell you. Sometimes our perceptions of art, and the artist, are exactly backward. “I’m not that serious of a person,”

An artist amid artists Gallery manager Janine Lep is a warm, welcoming presence

Lambert said, “but I see my work as being very serious.” On both counts, he’s right. There is warmth and humor in his stolid demeanor and mastery in his art, which stays true to traditional folk art in its execution and use of scrap materials. The proof is hanging on the walls of the gallery at 36 Main Street, where only “the best of the best” who have “met the League’s rigorous standards of creativity, innovation and technical expertise” are given space. It is a welcoming room of wall-to-wall treasure. Janine Lep, the gregarious manager of the gallery, is an artist too – a painter and jewelry maker mainly but not only. “I art,” she says, the noun-toverb transformation serving as her favorite way of describing people for whom the act of creating isn’t so much a hobby as how they live. While the League’s headquarters, located at the other end of downtown on South Main, feels like a museum

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(and a beautiful museum at that), Lep’s gallery on North Main is more of a bewitching middle space between creation and exhibition. Thomas Weston’s wooden spoons are on display in both spaces, for example, but only at the gallery do you fully feel the utility underlying the artistry. At headquarters, the spoons are gentrified, stripped of their spoon-ness and recast as objects longing to be encased and protected from all manner of stews and slurries. That’s not to say the gallery is a place for gift-shop knickknacks. The items on display are produced by people at the peak of their craft. But unlike at a museum, the experience here is more tactile than contemplative. Visitors are meant to pick up Weston’s spoons, to flip through Rick Stockwell’s photographs, to touch the silky pottery of Evan Williams and Grace Pejouhy. They are meant to fall in love with an object and take it home forever.

Spring has sprung This new piece arrived at the gallery in early March

Many gallery visitors over the decade or so that Lambert’s work has been on display there have done just that, and sometimes those pieces reach unexpected heights. One of Lambert’s popular suns was purchased in Littleton and found its way to the CBS This Morning show; other pieces are now part of former president Bill Clinton’s private folk art collection. Concord developer Steve Duprey is among the local collectors of Lambert’s work, a growing demographic that seems to be a source of constant amazement for the artist. “This woman (went) into this very animated conversation about where she has the sun in her kitchen, and that every morning when she comes downstairs she’ll see the sun and how much it means to her,” Lambert said. “. . . It’s almost like the woman had a religious experience.” “I just stand there in awe and I’m going, my God, it was just plywood and paint.”

“I’m still amazed at how people react to my work.” JIM LAMBERT

Lambert knows it’s more than that. He knows that art at this level is infinitely more than the materials used. What he doesn’t know, what no artist can ever truly know, is how meaningful a piece might become to someone else. And he’s grateful.

“I’m still amazed at how people react to my work.” There is no smile on his face as he says this, but it spreads wide in his voice. And it’s there in the downtown gallery, embedded in the grain of every piece he creates. 

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Open: Mon - Sat: 10 - 6 • Sun: 11 - 5 137 Storrs Street, Concord, NH 603.225.6100 www.ConcordAntiquesGallery.com Like us on Facebook Spring 2020 | Around Concord

DON’T MISS IT

NHTI and Northeast Delta Dental 5K is among the events that helps kick off the spring running season.

THE RACE IS ON 58

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Mark your calendars, lace your shoes and remember to stretch those hammies – it’s running season in New Hampshire By TIM O’SULLIVAN With the roads (mostly) clear of winter debris, it’s time for road race season. Here are a few suggestions to get you warmed up, and in the running spirit. The 16th Annual NHTI/Northeast Delta Dental 5K will be held on April 17 in Concord at NHTI. The registration is $20 ($5 for students) before April 16 and $25 ($10 for students) on the day of the race. All proceeds go to benefit the NHTI Jennifer Kemp Memorial Scholarship. This race comes with lots of awards, including the top three male and top three female finishers, the top finisher in nine different age groups plus team prizes and a $100 bonus for anyone who can break the New Hampshire 5K state record – John Mortimer holds the men’s record at

Geoff Forester

Runners start the 2019 Payson Center for Cancer Care’s Rock ’N Race on North State Street in downtown Concord.

14:21 and Lynn Jennings is the women’s record holder at 15:28). For more details go to nhti.edu/5k. If you like running through the woods, check out the Ralph Waldo Emerson Trail Race on May 9 in Concord. There are two course options (7.7 miles or 3.9 miles) through Winant Park in Concord. The shorter, 3.9-mile race starts at 10 a.m. and costs $25 (or $35 for day-of registration) while the longer race starts at 10:20 a.m. and costs $30 (or $40 day-of). To register or for more details go to runreg.com/ralph-waldoemerson-trail-race. If running through the city is more your style, the Payson Center for Care Rock ‘N Race will take place on May 14 in Concord at 6 p.m. with the starting line at the State House lawn. You can register as an individual ($30 online, $35 paper, $15 for children 14-andunder) or as a team. There’s a 5k run and a one-mile walk, and all proceeds go to benefit the HOPE Resource Center at Concord Hospital’s Payson Center for Cancer Care, a place where cancer patients, sur-

vivors, family members and caregivers start to heal. Last year the Rock ‘N Race raised over $323,000. To find our more or register, go to giveto.concordhospital.org /rock-n-race/home. The Capital Area Race Series links races in the area and compiles overall standings with the hopes of increasing participation, competition, health, fitness and camaraderie. The first C.A.R.S. race was the Gilmanton 5k Road Race on March 21, but there are still plenty of events remaining in the series. The NHTI/Northeast Delta Dental race is one of the eight races in the series, as are the Canterbury Shaker Village XC 5K on May 16 and the Capital City Classic 10K on June 27. For a complete list of races and more about C.A.R.S., go to runcarsnh.com. The Healthy Kids Running Series (healthykidsrunningseries.org) and Girls on the Run (girlsontherunnh.org) offer great options for young runners, including a Healthy Kids race in Concord on May 3 and a Girls on the Run 5K in Concord on June 6. 

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

EVENTS

Courtesy CCANH

Shred is Dead will perform at the Bank of N.H. Stage on April 10. APRIL 10

APRIL 12

Shred is Dead

Unlikely Candidates

Progressive instrumental and vocal performances of The Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Band, led by guitarist Marcus Rezak with an all-star group of musicians, including Vinnie Amico of MOE, Chris DeAngelis of The Breakfast and Kung Fu and Scott Hannay of Mister F.

The Unlikely Candidates are an indie rock band initially formed as an acoustic duo by childhood friends Kyle Morris and Cole Male in 2008. Eventually expanding the lineup to include guitarist Brenton Carney, bassist Jared Hornbeek, and drummer Kevin Goddard, the band was also able to expand its sound in bigger, more sweeping directions. The show will feature openers Zero 9:36 and The Federal Empire.

Bank of N.H. Stage, Friday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m.

Bank of N.H. Stage, Sunday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m.

banknhstage.com

APRIL 10

Colin Hay Scottish-born Australian musician and actor, who performed as lead vocalist of the band Men at Work and later as a solo artist, will return to the CCA. Capitol Center for the Arts, Friday, 8 p.m. APRIL 11

Met: Tosca Soprano Anna Netrebko returns to Tosca, after her 2018 debut, on April 11 as Puccini’s explosive diva. Tenor Brian Jagde is the idealistic painter Cavaradossi, and baritone Michael Volle completes the opera’s fatal love triangle as the sinister Scarpia. Bank of N.H. Stage, Saturday, 12:55 p.m. banknhstage.com

aroundconcord.com

APRIL 14

We the People We the People brings American Civics lessons to life and promises to make Social Studies exciting and accessible. Barreling through a variety of musical styles relevant to today’s youth, including rock, rhythm-andblues, and hip-hop, the show instills American pride in audiences of all ages – and perhaps even inspires them to get involved and make a difference. Capitol Center for the Arts, Tuesday, 10 a.m. or noon ccanh.com

APRIL 14

Business Showcase 2020 Products and services of Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce members from a variety of industries. Grappone Conference Center, Tuesday, 4 to 7 p.m. concordnhchamber.com

APRIL 15

Grilled Cheese and Beer Tasting Taste beers from Litherman's Limited Brewing, Hobbs Tavern, Brewing Henniker Brewing Co., Concord Craft Brewing and one or two more others, paired with grilled cheese and you vote for your favorite.

APRIL 15

Local Baskit, Wednesday, 5 p.m.

Conner Lorre

localbaskit.com

A Neil Diamond tribute entertainer will perform as part of the Walker Lecture Series. Concord City Auditorium, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. walkerlecture.org APRIL 16

David Moloney The author will present “Barker House.” Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m. gibsonsbookstore.com APRIL 16

APRIL 17-JUNE 19

APRIL 17

Setting the Standard Exhibit

Llama Llama: Red Pajama

League of N.H. Craftsmen masters in their respective media categories will present new works representing the high standards of the organization in the work they produce. League of N.H. Craftsmen Headquarters, reception Friday, April 17, from 5 to 7 p.m., gallery open Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. nhcrafts.org

Bedtime has never been so exciting! It’s the end of the day for the Llama family. After a long day of adventures at the school and the store, Baby Llama can’t wait to put on his red pajamas. He and his toys are ready to sing and dance their way to sleep, but they need a bedtime story and a kiss goodnight and a drink of water. And, where’s Mama? Capitol Center for the Arts, Friday, 4 p.m. ccanh.com

Queen City Improv Manchester finest improv group performs a night of goofs, gaffes, and laughs through a never before seen show every night! Hatbox Theatre, at 7:30 p.m. hatboxnh.com APRIL 16

Delta Rae Full of the four-part harmonies and narrative-driven genres are at the core of Nashville-based Delta Rae, a band of Southern storytellers. Openers will be SHEL and Carrie Welling. Bank of N.H. Stage, Thursday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m. banknhstage.com APRIL 17

David Allen Sibley The author will present “What It’s Like to Be a Bird.” Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m. gibsonsbookstore.com NE-319664

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

APRIL 19

N.H. Fiddle Ensemble The all-ages fiddle orchestra will perform a charity concert for the N.H. Children’s Trust.

APRIL 18

APRIL 19

Adam Ezra Group

Jewels

Not believing in set lists, every AEG show provides new and unique concert experiences that the band has been recording in real time and sharing with fans on thumb drives as part of their “Live Sound Project” every night.

This opulent triptych was inspired by Balanchine’s visit to the famous jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels on New York’s Fifth Avenue, celebrating the cities and dance schools of Paris, New York and St. Petersburg, each bound to its own precious stone: emerald, ruby and diamond. Balanchine built an homage of beauty to the three dance schools that had forged his style.

Bank of N.H. Stage, Saturday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m.

Bank of N.H. Stage, Sunday, 12:55 p.m.

banknhstage.com

Grappone Toyota Dealership, Sunday, 2 p.m. nhfiddleensemble.com

APRIL 21

DJ Palmer Author presents “The New Husband.” Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m. gibsonsbookstore.com APRIL 22

Buskers Night In Jordan Tirrell Wysocki assembles street performers and musicians as part of the Walker Lecture Series.

Helping you ﬁnd your way HOME.

Concord City Auditorium, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. walkerlecture.org APRIL 23

Ainissa Ramirez Mary Skoby Cowan

Calvin Herst

The author will present “The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another.” Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m. gibsonsbookstore.com

Suzanne Zellers

Sandy Heino

John Langill

Molly Hardenbergh

Rolf Gesen

Dani Tarbell

APRIL 23

Red Wanting Blue

Excellence in Real Estate, Just Ask anyone! 30 South Main Street Concord, NH Phone 225-3333 www.cowanandzellers.com NE-319305

aroundconcord.com

This band has spent most of their career operating outside of the confines of the traditional music industry, earning their legion of lifelong fans. Bank of N.H. Stage, Thursday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m. banknhstage.com

APRIL 24

Soulsha Soulsha is a party, a revolution, and an adventure through different traditions. It brings together some of Boston’s top musicians in Scottish, West African, and funk music to create a sound you won’t find anywhere else on the planet. Bank of N.H. Stage, Friday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. and show starts at 8 p.m.

APRIL 25

Ed Balloon Their music is a blend of electronic R&B, afropunk, and hiphop. They are storytellers; creating songs and stories to uplift and encourage their listeners to float over the negativity in the world. Openers will be Ethyric and B. Snair.

banknhstage.com

Bank of N.H. Stage, Saturday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m.

APRIL 24 - MAY 10

banknhstage.com

Copenhagen In 1941, German physicist Werner Heisenberg made a secret trip to Copenhagen for a clandestine meeting with his old friend and mentor, Niels Bohr along with Bohr’s wife, Margrethe. Bohr and Heisenberg were the world’s leading experts on the theory that the atom could be split, thus creating an atomic bomb. They were also on opposite sides of the war. The meeting was a disaster. Now, on a plain of existence which does not recognize the laws of physics, the three are brought together again in search of the answers which eluded them in life.

APRIL 26

Celtic Night

Trek Geeks Live

Concord’s own Celtic Night, co-hosted by award-winning fiddlers Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki and Liz Faiella, features monthly performances to brighten your Sunday evenings.

Join podcast hosts Dan Davidson and Bill Smith for a discussion of why Star Trek matters and how it’s still relevant today.

Bank of N.H. Stage, Sunday, 5 p.m.

banknhstage.com

Bank of N.H. Stage, Sunday, 8 p.m.

banknhstage.com

Hatbox Theatre, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. hatboxnh.com APRIL 25

Cash Unchained Take a journey back in time to the life and music of “The Man in Black” performed by Cash Unchained. Capitol Center for the Arts, Saturday, 8 p.m. ccanh.com APRIL 25

Craft Fair Crafters will offer fabric and crochet items, silk flower arrangements, wreaths, home decor, doll clothes, cat toys, metal work, jams and jellies, spices, greeting cards and more. United Church of Penacook, 30 Canal St., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ucpnh.org/SpringFair NE-320098

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

APRIL 28

APRIL 29

Sandell Morse and Rebecca Rule

Wesley McNair

The author will have a conversation with Rule about her new book, “The Spiral Shell: A French Village Reveals Its Secrets of Jewish Resistance in World War II.”

The author will discuss his new book, “Dwellers in the House of the Lord.” Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m. gibsonsbookstore.com MAY 1

Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m.

Susan Werner

gibsonsbookstore.com

Susan Werner composes skillful songs that effortlessly slide between folk, jazz, and pop, all delivered with sassy wit and classic Midwestern charm.

APRIL 29

2020 World Tour Paddling Film Festival The Northern Forest Canoe Trail, NRS, New Hampshire Fish and Game, and Contoocook River Canoe Company are excited to share the year ’s best paddling films showing destinations and adventures in whitewater, canoeing, sea kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. Red River Theatres, Wednesday, 6:30 to 9 p.m. redrivertheatres.org

Bank of N.H. Stage, Friday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m. banknhstage.com MAY 1

MAY 2

Paula Poundstone

AerospaceFest

Paula Poundstone is a humorist, author and comedian known for her clever, observational humor and spontaneous wit.

A full day of science and engineering fun including children’s activities, solar observing, flight simulations, a new planetarium show, chemistry experiments and special guests.

Capitol Center for the Arts, Friday, 8 p.m.

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 call 603-369-3212. 32122.

ccanh.com MAY 2

Beechwood & Boomsoss Beechwood mingles between a full four-piece band to an acoustic duo and various arrangements in between, playing a mix of originals and covers. Boomsoss is a New England based jam band covering Phish, Dead, Floyd, Talking Heads, The Band and always adding a sossy twist to the jams. Bank of N.H. Stage, Saturday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m. banknhstage.com MAY 2

Queer Prom for Adults LGBTQ+ inclusive event with a roaring ’20s theme. Kimball Jenkins Estate, Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m. askabrownfeminem.com

NE-295760

aroundconcord.com

Courtesy

The Virtual Fish Tank at the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center.

McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center, Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. starhop.com MAY 2

Almost Queen The most authentic Queen live show since the days of Queen themselves. Capitol Center for the Arts, Saturday, 8 p.m. ccanh.com MAY 3

Capital Jazz Orchestra: Here’s to Sinatra! The acclaimed Capital Jazz Orchestra will enlarge its personnel to include a full string section in order to accurately present the original arrangements of Sinatra’s recorded music. Vocalist CJ Poole along with the Capital Jazz Orchestra will salute ‘Old Blue Eyes’ by performing such classics as “Witchcraft”, “Come Fly With Me”, “Summer Wind”, “Strangers In The Night” and “New York, New York.” Capitol Center for the Arts, Sunday, 4 p.m. ccanh.com

MAY 5

Christine Hemp The author will discuss “Wild Ride Home: Love, Loss, and a Little White Horse, a family memoir.” Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m. gibsonsbookstore.com MAY 6

Katherine Alford and Kathy Gunst Compilation of recipes and essays in “Rage Baking.” Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m. gibsonsbookstore.com MAY 6

MAY 13

MAY 9

Opening day and Heifer Parade

A unique quartet of a harpist, cellist, pianist and lead vocalist, which was a finalist on “America’s Got Talent.”

Celebrate opening day by welcoming a parade of heifers back to the village from Brookford Farm. Other activities include maypole dancing (shown above), outdoor barn dancing, face painting, make-your-own head wreaths and May baskets and guided tours are available.

Capitol Center for the Arts, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Canterbury Shaker Village, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sons of Serendip

ccanh.com

shakers.org

Discovering Magic Using only the most ordinary of objects, actor, puppeteer and storyteller Andrew Pinard brings the ordinary to life with the most surprising results. Hatbox Theatre at 7:30 p.m. hatboxnh.com

MAY 7

BoomBox

! D E V O M n locatio ! ew n r u o t u o k ec ome ch

A little house, a little blues, a little funk, a little rock, and a whole lot of soul blast through BoomBox. Bank of N.H. Stage, Thursday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m., show begins at 8 p.m.

banknhstage.com

NEW NAME, CE! RVI SAME GREAT SE

MAY 9

Met: Maris Stuarda Soprano Diana Damrau, following her triumph as Violetta in last season’s new production of Verdi’s La Traviata, returns as the martyred Mary, Queen of Scots. Bank of N.H. Stage, Saturday, 12:55 p.m. banknhstage.com MAY 9

Best Buddies Walk The Best Buddies Friendship Walk is the number one walk in the country raising awareness and funds to support inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. State House, Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. bestbuddies.org/newhampshire

See our website for Graduation Canopy package deals! Taylor True Value Rental • (603) 224-1931 • 276 N State St., Concord, NH 03301 www.taylorrentalconcord.com NE-320145

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

MAY 14 MAY 15

ABBA The Concert

Roaring 20s Mom Prom

Many critics consider ABBA The Concert to be the most authentic ABBA tribute show in the world. Come dance, sing, and have the time of your life.

Ladies Night Out (not just moms) as a benefit for charity. Dress up and dance, appetizers, photo booth and cash bar.

Capitol Center for the Arts, Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ccanh.com

Grappone Conference Center, Friday, 7 p.m.

MAY 15

Queen City Improv

concordmomprom.com

Manchester ’s finest performs a night of goofs, gaffes, and laughs. Hatbox Theatre, at 7:30 p.m. hatboxnh.com

MAY 16

Eaglemania

Music Out of the Box The Delusive Relics will perform.

Piff continues to win over audiences with his wizardry, wit and sarcasm.

Eaglemania has evolved into a nationally touring tribute to The Eagles, performing to sold out audiences everywhere they go.

Capitol Center for the Arts, Friday, 8 p.m.

Capitol Center for the Arts, Saturday, 8 p.m.

ccanh.com

MAY 15

Piff the Magic Dragon

MAY 21

2 Industrial Park Drive, Concord, NH

betterhearingnh.com 603-224-9043 NE-317169

100% true blue

Zach Deputy Zach Deputy has introduced the world to the sound he’d eventually dub “island-infused, drum ‘n’ bass, gospel-ninja-soul.” Bank of N.H. Stage, Thursday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. banknhstage.com MAY 30

Tigerman Woah

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

aroundconcord.com

Biscuit

ccanh.com

Audiology | Hearing Aids | Service & Accessories

MAY 18

Capitol Center for the Arts, Monday, 10 a.m.

SERVING GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES FOR OVER 55 YEARS

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

hatboxnh.com

Little Girl is thrilled when she receives Biscuit as a birthday present, but will this puppy learn to behave and accept being part of a family? Suggested for pre-K through second grade.

Better Hearing Center, pllc.

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

Hatbox Theatre, at 7:30 p.m.

Tigerman Woah is a rock and roll band from Lynn, Mass., that’s been singing and hollering and stomping their working-class boots since 2012. Bank of N.H. Stage, Saturday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. NE-317993

banknhstage.com

MAY 31

JUNE 5

JUNE 11

Celtic Night

The Slambovian Circus of Dreams

L. Annette Binder

Concord’s own Celtic Night, co-hosted by award-winning fiddlers Jordan TirrellWysocki and Liz Faiella, features monthly performances to brighten your Sunday evenings. Bank of N.H. Stage, Sunday, 5 p.m. banknhstage.com

The music of The Slambovian Circus of Dreams has been variously described as “hillbillyFloyd,” “folk-pop,” “alt-country, roots-rock,” and “surreal Americana;” a clear indicator of its singularly indescribable uniqueness. Dancing freely between all existing religious and philosophical mythologies, the music is uplifting, empowering, and a lot of fun.

JUNE 14

National Theatre: The Welkin

Capitol Center for the Arts, Saturday, 8 p.m.

Bank of N.H. Stage, Sunday, 12:55 p.m.

ccanh.com

banknhstage.com

JUNE 6

Unforgettable Fire

Doktor Kaboom has a spinning wheel with everything from optical illusions to chemical reactions. Who knows what experiments will be next?

gibsonsbookstore.com

U2 Tribute group.

banknhstage.com

Doktor Kaboom and the Wheel of Science

Gibson’s Bookstore, at 6 p.m.

As the country waits for Halley’s Comet, 21-year-old Sally Poppy is sentenced to hang for a heinous murder. When Sally claims to be pregnant, a jury of 12 matrons are taken from their housework to decide whether she’s telling the truth, or simply trying to escape the noose. With only midwife Lizzy Luke prepared to defend the girl, the matrons wrestle with their new authority, and the devil in their midst.

Bank of N.H. Stage, Friday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m.

JUNE 2

The author will present “The Vanishing Sky.”

Goldsmiths Gallery LLC

Capitol Center for the Arts, Tuesday, 10 a.m. ccanh.com JUNE 4

Ezra Bell A festive mix of soul twang, folk, rock, blues, jazz and pop that doesn’t kill the melancholy. Ezra Bell features Maurice Spencer (bass), Tom Trotter (drums), Aaron Mattison (horns), Jeremy Asay (keys and tenor guitar), and Honora Hildreth (vocals and auxiliary awesomeness) more-than-ably backing up Wuamett’s story-songs and satirical jigs with organic precision. Bank of N.H. Stage, Thursday, bar opens at 6 p.m., doors at 7 p.m., show at 8 p.m. banknhstage.com

Two Capital Plaza 57 N.Main Street Concord, NH 03301 NE-316510

603-224-2920 Tue - Fri 10:00-5:30 Sat 10:00-4:00

goldsmiths-gallery.com

Spring 2020 | Around Concord

HISTORY

Courtesy Concord Library

This early 20th century postcard of Rollins Park in the South End shows one of the city’s popular open spaces.

From its early days, Concord’s motto had been “The Wilderness Was Glad for Them.” By the early days of the 20th century, the wilderness was more likely to be rearranged to suit the needs and whims of humans. The natural landscape had been subjected to change from Concord’s earliest settlement with the clearing of land for agriculture, the installation of dams and canals on the river, and the development of roads and railroad tracks. But in the century’s last decades “progress” and “growth” lost their unequivocally positive connotations. If a turning point can be identified,

The life of the land it would be in the early 1970s, as a series of development proposals were rejected because they were perceived to damage the city’s environment, just at a time when environmental consciousness became widespread. Though the notions of protecting open land and reducing pollution were not novel, they gained considerable currency as Concord, like America as a whole, confronted the visible and widespread consequences of its neglect. Population growth and development had followed Interstate 93 north along the Merrimack River and wrought substantial change in Manchester and Nashua. Residents in

Learn More

Concord, logically the next town to boom along the corridor, began to express fear of unplanned growth and the accompanying loss of open space, overcrowding of once-quiet neighborhoods, and increased pollution. “Alteration” of the ecosystem was becoming synonymous with abuse of the environment. Nowhere was this more apparent than the Merrimack River, often given the nickname “Merrimuck” and accurately described as an open sewer. This excerpt written by Geoffrey R. Kirsch appears in the chapter “The Land” in “Crosscurrents of Change.”

‘Crosscurrents of Change” Concord, N.H. in the 20th Century’ This 400-plus page hardcover edition introduces you to the people who helped shape a city, and it takes you through tragedy and triumph with some of the defining moments in Concord history. To purchase a copy or to learn more, visit concordhistoricalsociety.org/store.

aroundconcord.com

SPRING SALE Subscribe Now to the

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POETRY

Geoff Forester

‘Ghosts’ New creatures that breathe fire, Burn the air. They birth civilizations That make the ground temble, The stars blink.

Transformed in deep graves By a universe that wastes nothing, They rose again, Born to be eaten By their replacements.

They grow to the sky, Eating the tall grass, The oceans and the forests. As they search for food, They release the ghosts.

Ghosts who know the cycles, Unencumbered by time. And the universe That wastes nothing. They have seen it before.

“Glenn Currie’s poetry and his new collection “Ball of String” brings us a new lens for everyday experiences, an intricate weave of life’s light and dark sides, photographs to compliment his poetic selections. His poems playful rhymes and unique leave the reader with layered meanings and implications to ponder long after the first reading is over.” —Barbara Bald, author of Drive-Throug

h Window, Running on Empty

and Other Voices/Other

Lives “New Hampshire’s poet/philos opher, Glenn Currie says Ball of String might be his last book. hope not. He is of an age where I he can see both the here and the gone, the light pouring and the darkness pouring in. out, He lives among ghosts and secrets; nightmares, visions, ephemera. It’s all ephemera and in the end. Do visitors to the old farm “sense the stories silence”? He does. He gives in the us those stories in photograph s and words. He meets me where am. In this extraordinary collection I of reminiscenc es and deep you where you are too.” reflections, he may well meet —Rebecca Rule, humorist, essayist,

author of That Reminds Me of

POETRY / PHOTOGRAP HY / $19.95

ISBN 978-1-733403 2-0-7

51995

Share with us 70

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781733 4032 07

Glenn Currie

“Ball of String” is Glenn Currie’s sixth volume of poetry. He lives in Concord. Snap Screen Press

Ball of String

a Funny Story

Glenn K. Currie is a humorist, essayist, and poet. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1965 and served in the U.S. Navy from 1965–1969. He worked in corporate America from 1970– 1986, during which time he traveled extensively, primarily in the Middle East. He and his family returned to New Hampshire and settled in Concord in 1986, where he maintained a private consulting business and became a freelance writer. He was a regular contributor to the Concord Monitor for two decades and has also been an occasional contributor to New Hampshire magazine, and has written for other magazines and newspapers over the last thirty years. Ball of String is Mr. Currie’s sixth published volume of poetry.

concord, new hampshire

BALL OF STRING

Tall grass and ancient forests Hide their origins and endings. Rulers of the Earth, Suddenly swallowed. Dust to dust.

Glenn K.Cur rie

Do you have poetry or scenic images you’d like to share? Send them to editor@aroundconcord.com.

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ON THE TOWN

Geoff Forester photos

Shannon Manseau of Concord keeps her son P.J. entertained out in the cold as they wait for family members to take the Canterbury Shaker Village tour for Christmas at Canterbury on a cold December afternoon.

Scene Around Concord

Fran Plaisted of Orford competes with her team at the 91st World Championship Sled Dog Derby held at the Laconia Country Club in February. Shawn Salyer reacts to applause after playing the piano in the main lobby of Concord Hospital. Salyer, who works in the environmental services department, routinely plays for patients, their family members or others passing through during his breaks from his job.

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Geoff Forester

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A Sno-cross competition wows onlookers surrounding the dirt track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon in February.

Music teacher Mike Kenyon calls the band to listen as he leads the group at the Armand Dupont School in Allenstown.

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Spring 2020 | Around Concord

A THOUSAND WORDS

File

Carrying on a tradition In 2018, Alexis Hill was among those who went onto the rural roads of Westmoreland in an annual pilgrimage to help protect amphibians from passing motorists. The multi-day event, dubbed the Salamander Crossing Brigades, occurs after the first April rains when the conditions are just right to lure amphibians from their woodsy hideaways to the ponds and vernal pools where they’ll look to breed. There, the waiting volunteers play traffic cop as the salamanders and friends cross the road. This ritual has gained popularity in southwestern New Hampshire, but it has its followers more locally, too. In Concord last year, a group along Fisk Road saved 22 amphibians, including nine wood frogs and six spring peepers. In Dunbarton, a group along Robert Rogers Road made 29 saves. In total, the Salamander Crossing Brigades has saved nearly 50,000 amphibians since 2007. Check out harriscenter.org for more details.

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Welcome to ‘A Thousand Words,’ a quarterly feature that ends the magazine with an iconic photo. Share your image with us, and we may be able to use it in a coming issue. Only high-resolution photos are accepted, and despite the intent of the feature, we will need to accompany your image with a few words. So please send your photo and a brief description to editor@aroundconcord.com.

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