New Hampshire Magazine September 2023

→ Japanese Sleeve Tattoo by Mathew Clarke, Midnight Moon

The Residence at Back Bay

WOLFEBORO,

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Discover the Future OF

Finding a home at Taylor means more than access to a stunning new apartment – it means receiving the keys to present and future peace of mind.

Coming soon to picturesque Wolfeboro, NH, e Residence at Back Bay features beautifully appointed private apartments, assisted living with a purposefully designed memory care neighborhood, and private nursing care. Here is a sampling of what living at e Residence at Back Bay o ers...

• spacious common areas

• libraries and a salon

• wellness suite and spa

• expansive outdoor seating areas

• private balconies

• resident gardens

• beautifully landscaped grounds with walking paths

• chef-prepared, anytime dining from our talented culinary team

• full calendar of social, educational, recreational and cultural activities

• personalized wellness plan and wellness activities

• indoor lap pool with a full schedule of tness classes

• walking distance to the waterfront, and only a short drive or stroll to downtown Wolfeboro

• complimentary transportation

• 24/7 sta and security

One of the biggest bene ts to becoming a resident of Taylor is our continuum of care, as it ensures that you never need to worry about nding another place to call home down the road – come join us!

Who says kids should have all the fun? At The Baldwin — an all-new Life Plan Community (CCRC) — we say this is your time. Make a splash in the pool. Dance, stretch, lift, and box in the fitness center. Learn for the love of it. Take to the nearby trails, then top off your day at the local brewery. Define life on your terms and do whatever you choose — whether that’s everything or nothing at all.

Opening fall 2023!

To learn more, call 603.404.6080 or visit TheBaldwinNH.org today.

Daily tours: 11am, 12pm 1pm + 2:30pm

Information + tickets: shakers.org

288 Shaker Road Canterbury NH 03224

NHMAGAZINE.COM

Vice President/Publisher Ernesto Burden (603) 624-1442 x5117 ernestob@yankeepub.com

Editor Mike Cote (603) 624-1442 x5141 editor@nhmagazine.com

Managing Editor Emily Heidt (603) 624-1442 x5115 eheidt@nhmagazine.com

Managing Editor, Custom Publications Robert Cook (603) 624-1442 x5128 robertc@yankeepub.com

Assistant Editor Caleb Jagoda (603) 624-1442 x5010 cjagoda@nhmagazine.com

Art Director John R. Goodwin (603) 624-1442 x5131 johng@yankeepub.com

Creative Services Director Jodie Hall (603) 624-1442 x5122 jodieh@yankeepub.com

Senior Graphic Designer Nancy Tichanuk (603) 624-1442 x5126 nancyt@yankeepub.com

Senior Graphic Production Artist Nicole Huot (603) 624-1442 x5116 nicoleh@yankeepub.com

Advertising & Events Sales Director Jenna Pelech (603) 624-1442 x5154 jennap@yankeepub.com

Sales Executives Josh Auger (603) 624-1442 x5144 jauger@nhmagazine.com

Jessica Schooley (603) 624-1442 x5143 jessicas@yankeepub.com

Operations Manager Ren Chase (603) 624-1442 x5114 renc@yankeepub.com

Sales & Events Coordinator Paul Milone (603) 624-1442 x5121 paulm@yankeepub.com

Business & Sales Coordinator Paula Veale (603) 624-1442 x5110 paulav@yankeepub.com

Digital Operations Morgen Connor (603) 624-1442 x5149 and Marketing Manager morgenc@yankeepub.com

Contributing Photographer Kendal J. Bush kendal@kendaljbush.com

Billing Specialist/IT Coordinator Gail Bleakley (603) 563-8111 x113 gailb@yankeepub.com

taff Accountant Nancy Pfuntner (603) 563-8111 x138 nancyp@yankeepub.com

/Consumer Marketing Brook Holmberg brookh@yankeepub.com

VP/Retail Sales Sherin Pierce sherinp@yankeepub.com NEW

250 Commercial Street, Suite 4014 Manchester, NH 03101 (603) 624-1442, fax (603) 624-1310

E-mail: editor@nhmagazine.com

Advertising: sales@nhmagazine.com

Subscription information: Subscribe online at: nhmagazine.com or email customerservice@nhmagazine.com

To order by phone call: (877) 494-2036 © 2023 Yankee Publishing, Inc. New Hampshire Magazine® is published by Yankee Publishing, Inc., 250 Commercial Street, Suite 4014, Manchester, NH 03101, (603) 624-1442. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility or any mistakes in advertisements or editorial. Statements/ opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect or represent those of this publication or its officers. While every effort en made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, Yankee Publishing, Inc.: New Hampshire Magazine disclaims all responsibility for omissions and errors. New Hampshire Magazine is published monthly, with the exception of February and April. USPS permit number 022-604. Periodical postage paid at Manchester 0310351. Postmaster send address changes to: New Hampshire Magazine, P.O. Box 37900, Boone, IA 50037-0900

PRINTED IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

First Things

603 Navigator

14 Go Gosport Regatta!

NH’s iconic sailing race electrifies Star Island

By Robert Cook

18 Our Town Exploring Andover

By Barbara Radcliffe Rogers

22 Food & Drink

Three Monadnock region inns offer food, drinks and community

By Kendal J. Bush

603 Informer

28 Extraterrestrials in Exeter

The history (and humans) behind the Exeter UFO Festival

By Caleb Jagoda

Photography by Alex Kumph

34 Blips

‘Cheap Old Houses’ are hard to find in NH

By Casey McDermott

36 Politics

Live Free and Be First

By James Pindell

38 What Do You Know

Perambulating at Muchyedo Banks

By Marshall Hudson

603 Living

72 Hot in the ‘Kitchen’

As pickleball pushes 60, the fastest growing “new” sport is picking up converts

By Mike Cote

84 Calendar Summer events

Compiled by Caleb Jagoda

86 Health Stay Connected

By Krysten Godfrey Maddocks

88 Ayuh Rocks in Our Heads

By Rebecca Rule

78 Ask the Experts

ON THE COVER: The Japanese-style sleeve tattoo, by Mathew Clarke of Midnight Moon, is a sampling of the diverse and talented artists around the state inking Granite Staters. Photo courtesy Mathew Clarke.

A Flood of Collections

THE STORMS THAT PUMMELED NEW ENGLAND in July disrupted the lives of thousands of Vermonters as rising waters damaged or destroyed homes and businesses. In New Hampshire, flash floods washed out roads and prompted evacuations in some southern towns.

We suffered minor flooding in the basement of our home in Manchester, but it was more than we had ever seen, with water flowing into the bulkhead. For the second time this year, I had to pull up a corner of carpet and set up fans and a dehumidifier to dry it out.

This time, the water crept farther than usual, and I began to question the wisdom of storing 500 vinyl LPs in cheap wooden crates stacked on the floor. With stereo equipment and a 40-inch TV sitting on top, they cannot be moved without heavy lifting.

My man cave essentially recreates my basement bedroom from high school, when my record collection was a quarter of what it is now. The cave is also home to more than 2,500 compact discs, most of which line the entire wall on one side of the basement. Three bookcases hold an assortment of CD box sets, music DVDs and a bunch of books, including a dozen Library of America volumes with cloth bindings that should not be subjected to so much humidity.

There have been periodic purges to the collection. From many years of reviewing records for newspapers and magazines, I’ve accumulated a ridiculous bounty of promo (free) music and would have needed a couple of more rooms to hold it all if I hadn’t done some pruning.

And I’ve tried to enforce self-discipline with my books — how many do I need to keep after I’ve already read them? But those Twain and Melville Library of America editions aren’t going anywhere.

While I possess enough music and books to last multiple lifetimes, I do spend a lot of time with them. As I write this in the cave, Mick Jagger is singing “Criss Cross,” an outtake included on a double-LP clear vinyl edition of “Goats Head Soup.” (The 2020 reissue of the 1973 album has a dumb new cover: a goat’s head floating in a vat of tomato soup.)

When I think of collecting, I recall “Everyday Use,” a short story about Black heritage by Alice Walker that I read when I was an English major at the University of New Hampshire. The conflict about whether a handmade quilt should be displayed for its artistic value rather than spread across a bed for comfort has always stuck with me.

What good is an object if it never gets used? I don’t own a single record that remains unsealed. Even the rare white label promo copy of the Kinks’ 1967 “Something Else” — which I watched Ray Davies autograph after a solo show in Boulder, Colorado — deserves a spin on the turntable.

The basement includes other odds and ends collections, including my wife’s storage tub full of Beanie Babies and my box of mostly Marvel comics from the mid-’70s that are in good condition but nowhere near mint quality. I’ve read them all.

The comic collection once included a stack of “Sad Sack” titles. I used to ride my bike all over town to find the latest adventures of the hapless Army recruit at corner stores, including the long-departed Post Office Fruit.

I had forgotten about “Sad Sack” until Darren Garnick wrote this month’s feature on New Hampshire people with quirky collections, which includes Upper Valley radio DJ Chris Garrett, who has collected more than 300 “Sad Sack” comics.

When Darren stopped by our office to talk about his progress on the story (check it out on page 52), I got the sense he would be interviewing a bunch of geeks who obsess about hunting down obscure artifacts. Now I know why it sounded so familiar: I’m one of them.

Time to buy a sump pump for the basement.

Contributors

Before calling the Monadnock Region home, photographer Kendal J. Bush traveled the world as an editor and videographer for the National Geographic Channel and NBC. She photographed this month’s Living section, wrote and photographed “Dining Inn” and photographed the feature story, “The Pursuit of Perfection: A NH Wine Story.” See more of her work at kendaljbush.com

About | Behind the Scenes at New Hampshire Magazine

Assistant Editor Caleb Jagoda Says Sayonara

In my nine months at New Hampshire Mag, I’ve written about aliens and anti-gravity associations, beer fests (pictured to the left) and taco tours, life and love and the original chicken tender. I’ve edited hundreds of stories, reposted thousands of Instagram photos (mostly of mountains) and truly learned the ins and outs of the Granite State.

It’s funny; I’ve lived here for six years now, but only feel like I’ve really gotten to know the state in the last few months through my job at the mag. There’s something special about having a professional excuse to sit down with people in your community and pick their brain about what makes them tick — and then getting weeks to pore over that conversation and wax poetically about it, wherein thousands of people will get to read those musings and, as a result, get to know their neighbors just a little bit better. That’s pretty cool. I’m pretty lucky. Thank you to everyone who made that possible.

I’m starting grad school this fall — meaning I’ll be jobless and broke, so you’ll see my name pop up here every now and then as a contributor. Until then, cheers.

Kara McGrath is a Keene-based writer/editor who’s been reporting on a variety of topics for over a decade. She wrote this month’s feature “Skin (& Ink) in the Game.”

Alex Kumph is a Dover-based filmmaker and photographer contributing to as many creative projects as time allows. He took photos for this month’s Informer.

Assistant Editor Caleb Jagoda wrote this month’s Informer story about the history of Exeter’s UFO Festival. You can find him out on the town, digging the scene.

Frequent contributor Michael Hauptly-Pierce wrote this month’s feature story, “The Pursuit of Perfection: A New Hampshire Wine Story.”

Longtime contributor Darren Garnick wrote this month’s feature, “Granite State Super Collectors” about some of New Hampshire’s most passionate hobbyists.

Photojournalist Allegra Boverman contributed photos for our story on collectors and their collections. See more at allegrabovermanphotography.zenfolio.com.

CMC’s Primary Care team is dedicated to keeping

and your family well. Now more than ever, it’s important to stay on top of your health. CMC is here for you and the ones you love, offering:

Virtual (phone or video) and in-person appointments

Access to a network of specialty care providers

Convenient locations throughout Bedford, Goffstown, Hooksett & Manchester

Where Primary care that fits your family—and your life. Call us today to find a primary care provider who’s right for you—603.314.4750 CatholicMedicalCenter.org

A familiar bridge

I read with interest this article in the most recent 603 Informer (“Cattle Thieves at Hobo Junction,” July) and couldn’t help noticing the picture on page 31 seemed very familiar to the overpass close to where I live on Winona Road in New Hampton, which I don’t believe is connected to the Fort Hill Railroad in the southwest part of the state. Here’s a picture I took when passing through yesterday. Just sayin…. ��

— Mike Oakes, New Hampton

Editor’s Note: Thanks for your careful eye. We sent your letter to writer Marshall Hudson for his review. Here’s his response:

“The two overpasses are remarkably similar. I have no actual knowledge, but it seems likely that they may have been designed by the same railroad engineer using some accepted industry standard. Perhaps for the second overpass, existing design and construction plans were reused? It is also possible that both could have been built by the same construction crew of Italian stonemasons. Thanks for sharing your photo, it might be fun to dig into this a little more and see if both overpasses were constructed about the same time period, which one was built first, and if more photos are available. I like when one story leads to another.”

It’s not housing hang-ups

I am responding to James Pindell’s (August) article, “Housing Hang-up.” First, let’s start with Portsmouth because it represents a huge part of New Hampshire. Portsmouth has exploded in the building of condominiums. Unfortunately, the condos and homes are far from being affordable for the average person.

In a perfect world everyone would be able to afford just the basics, and they should be able too. This would include: home or apartment, water, food, electricity, phone and transportation with a little money set aside for other necessities and a small savings at least. It is kind and thoughtful for business owners who can afford to do so (who) are now purchasing property to create affordable housing for their staff.

James mentioned supply. At some point we have to know when to stop building. Let’s use all the vacant existing homes and

buildings before we suggest building more.

Secondly, Fredrick Law Olmsted understood the necessity and importance of open space for everyone to enjoy. Central Park, Prospect Park, Forest Park, The Emerald Necklace, just to name a few.

Not everyone wants to live in a city, and if it weren’t for zoning laws you could be pretty sure not to make an assumption, however, that everyone would live on a postage stamp or LESS. And where would James Pindell like the raccoons, deer, foxes, possums, wild turkeys and more to habitat?

It is the zoning laws that keep some of this space open for other lives other than our OWN. Someone needs to be the steward of the land. One acre per home is not much at all. That being said it keeps people from living on top of each other and gives a little breathing room to enjoy the outdoors, have a garden and just to relax

— Suzi Higley-Konopka, Hampton Falls

The black and white photo on the left appeared in the July issue with a caption that noted how in 1911, some 1,200 men worked on the Fort Hill rail line. The photo on the right was taken by reader Mike Oakes on Winona Road in Hampton.

Spot four newts like the one here hidden on ads in this issue, tell us where you found them and you might win a great gift from a local artisan or company.

To enter our drawing for Spot the Newt, visit spotthenewt.com and fill out the online form. Or, send answers plus your name and mailing address to: Spot the Newt c/o New Hampshire Magazine 250 Commercial St., Suite 4014 Manchester, NH 03101

You can also email them to newt@nhmagazine.com or fax them to (603) 624-1310.

Last month’s “Spot the Newt” winner is Leslie Kus of Plaistow August issue newts were on pages 6, 11, 35, 92

Need a Good Reason for Spotting The Newt?

The prize is a gift certificate for $50 to use online at nhmade.com or at the New Hampshire Made Store, 28 Deer St., Portsmouth. New Hampshire Made is our state’s official promoter of products and services created here in the Granite State, and the online store and downtown shop are packed with delightful gifts and specialty foods made with Granite State pride. nhmade.com

603 Navigator

“The sail, the play of its pulse so like our own lives: so thin and yet so full of life, so noiseless when it labors hardest, so noisy and impatient when least effective.” — Henry David Thoreau

Go Gosport Regatta!

NH’s iconic sailing race electrifies Star Island

BY ROBERT COOK / PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY STAR ISLAND CORP.

Among the things that exemplify the Granite State’s proud heritage — Mount Washington, the White Mountains, Lake Winnipesaukee — include the Gosport Regatta, which this year marks its 149th anniversary.

New Hampshire’s small-but-mighty 18-mile coastline hosts one of the largest sailboat race events in New England. On Sept. 17, as many as 50 sailing vessels of different sizes will race from Portsmouth to Star Island as 300 spectators watch from the decks of the M/V Thomas Laighton — the flagship vessel of the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company — and, later on, Star Island.

“We did it last year after a two-year hiatus,” says Joe Watts, CEO of the Star Island Corporation in Portsmouth — which, as a nonprofit, runs the event and serves as caretaker and steward of Star Island. “This year, we are looking to bring it back in full effect.”

The waters between Portsmouth and Star Island will display a colorful array of sails powered by the offshore winds. The participating sailboats compete at staggered times, one at a time, Watts says.

Their aim is to use their skill and seamanship to follow a specific course marked by buoys and display their proficiency and speed. Different classes of vessels based on the types and sizes of the boats will compete — some with small crews, others with large ones.

What separates the Gosport Regatta from other sailing races is its inclusivity and accessibility. “It’s open to the general public,” Watts says. “You don’t have to know a lot about sailing to enjoy it.”

Spectators and racers alike can purchase

tickets. For spectators, the price of admission includes a few hours onboard the M/V Thomas Laighton to watch the race and several hours on Star Island, where they can enjoy live music, kite flying and a barbecue meal. Additionally, they’re invited to attend the awards ceremony held at the Star Island Oceanic Hotel after the racers arrive.

Spectators are encouraged to explore the island, learn where artist Celia Thaxter created her paintings and enjoy lime rickey cocktails on the hotel’s sweeping veranda. At the end of the day, the M/V Thomas Laighton transports spectators back to Portsmouth.

The Gosport Regatta underscores how the Star Island Corporation endeavors to make the island as open to the public as possible.

“It’s a great opportunity for locals if they’ve never been out to Star Island before,” Watts says.

The Gosport Regatta serves as one of two major fundraisers for Star Island Corporation, raising money to support the nonprofit group and its partner, the Piscataqua Sailing Association. Watts says the two groups have staged the race each year since 2009. It was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic and returned with 175 spectators and about 40 sail boats in 2022.

According to the Star Island Corporation, the first Gosport Regatta was held in July 1874. Organized by John Poor, president of the Stickney & Poor Spice Trading Co., the inaugural race was thrown to celebrate the grand opening of his Star Island Oceanic Hotel.

Now, nearly 150 years later, Watts says Star Island visitors feel like they’re step-

< One of the 50 sailing vessels competing in the Gosport Regatta, where sailors race in different classes to test their skills. This year’s event on Sept. 17 marks its 149th anniversary.

ping into the mists of time on race day. And as nonprofit caretakers of the island, Watts and the Star Island Corporation team work to preserve those historic airs. “Star Island is always evolving,” Watts says. “We do all of the changes within the content of preserving the history and timeless quality of the island.”

Now that Star Island is operating back to where it was pre-pandemic, Watts says registrations for their summer programs are very strong. “People are just very excited about being able to spend time here again,” he says. Watts calls Star Island “a summer camp for people of all ages.”

“Our theme this year is kindness,” he says. “We just want to get to that place as a people where we need to be kind to each other. Star is an anecdote to the ills we’re facing as a society.”

With events like the Gosport Regatta, Watts hopes to attract first-time visitors to Star Island from all over New Hampshire and beyond. The island, after all, is a unique spot — one that deserves to have its own definitive place in the Granite State lexicon.

“We want people to think about Star Island the same way they think of Mount Washington,” Watts says. “As a New Hampshire treasure and a New Hampshire icon.” NH

Sailing crews finish their day at the Gosport Regatta by gathering on Star Island for an awards ceremony at the Oceanic Hotel along with food and entertainment.

A sailing vessel races downwind during the 2021 Gosport Regatta.

Exploring Andover

Don’t miss out on this town’s progressive ideas and benchmark of Black history

BY BARBARA RADCLIFFE ROGERS / PHOTOGRAPHY BY STILLMAN ROGERS

The restored railway station at Potter Place is a good way to begin a visit to Andover. The railroad line connecting Concord to White River Junction opened in 1848, and the station was built in 1874 to accommodate the increasing number of tourists bound for New London and the lake resorts.

The Andover Historical Society maintains the station, filled with displays of railroad artifacts and equipment, and outside stands Caboose CV-4030, an equally well-restored caboose from the Central Vermont railroad. Across the road is the 1912 J.C. Emons General Store and Post Office, a museum displaying the town’s original post office, bank of mailboxes and store fixtures.

Other Historical Society exhibits speak of life in the 19th century when the railroad still operated. Antiques and vintage items are sold from the Freight Shed to benefit

the society’s continuing work. Society volunteers offer a fountain of information about Potter Place and the family for which it was named.

A Black Heritage Trail plaque at the station gives the bare facts: Richard Potter was a celebrity ventriloquist and magician, a Black man who performed all over the country at a time when free Black people were being kidnapped and sold. He was, according to John Hodgson, author of “Richard Potter: America’s First Black Celebrity,” the most widely known entertainer of his time. (The book is sold at the small gift shop in the J.C. Emons General Store.)

In 1811, Potter built an impressive home in Andover — a town where he had performed and been welcomed. The neighborhood became known as Potter Place. He and his wife, Sally, are buried opposite the rail station. Behind their memorial stones is a depression that, on further investi-

gation, reveals a beautiful sunken garden planted inside the cellar hole of the Potters’ house. A nearby state historical marker describes Potter as a “19th-century master of the Black arts.”

The station is a good place to access the Northern Rail Trail, which runs through Andover from Highland Lake to Potter Place. About halfway between Potter Place and the center of Andover, the shaded, smooth-surfaced trail crosses the Blackwater River on a trestle bridge that’s adjacent to the Keniston Covered Bridge. Andover’s second covered bridge, the Cilleyville Covered Bridge, is on Johnson Lane off Route 11.

The Andover Historical Society is a busy group, sponsoring an Old Time Fair on the first Sunday of each August. The event features a flea market, auction, craftspeople, games,

The waiting room of the Potter Place Rail Station Museum offers a snapshot of Andover history.

antique cars and live entertainment. At the other end of town, on a hill above East Andover, the society maintains the 1837 Tucker Mountain Schoolhouse. Used until 1893, the school still has its original woodstove, desks and benches, which are bolted to the floor. The schoolhouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In the mid-1800s, a group of residents organized to open an academy, which began on the second floor of a church. It thrived until financial difficulties and a smallpox epidemic closed it. The school moved to Wolfeboro, where it became the Wolfeboro Christian Institute — which brings us to John Proctor. The son of a village blacksmith

Where History Lives

who had made his fortune inventing the threaded wood screw, Proctor returned to Andover as an adult dedicated to building and restoring the town. He helped construct and upkeep town office buildings, homes and stone dams for mills, even erecting the 125-room Proctor House Hotel in the center of the village.

The elegant hotel — along with the town’s railroad, which had a second station in the town center not far from the hotel — put Andover firmly on the map as a destination for up-market tourists. Thus, Proctor turned his attention to restoring Andover’s academy. He paid off the shuttered school’s debts and brought it back from the dead, adding a new dormitory.

With many Proctor House Hotel patrons coming from Boston and Cambridge, Andover built strong connections to both Harvard and the Unitarian Society, whose ideas were popular in town. In 1879 when the Unitarian Church was looking to start a school without “theological dogmatizing

Saturday, September 9, 2023

Saturday, September 9, 2023 5-7:30 PM 5-7:30 PM

Sample

The Potter Place Railroad Museum is a good way to begin a visit to Andover.

years later, the school continued to attract progressives to Andover. One of these, Mary Nettie Chase, was an organizer and frequent speaker for the National American Woman Suffrage Association and president of its New Hampshire Auxiliary from 1901 to 1912. Prior to that, she taught at Proctor Academy, where a sign outside its stone chapel notes the school’s place on the National Votes for Women Trail.

Progressive ideals still prevail at Proctor Academy. The Brown Dining Commons, the “greenest” dining hall at any independent school in New England, features 40 geothermal wells, not to mention solar panels and rain gardens to collect run-off.

The school property is a certified tree farm, with some of the harvested trees used in the woodworking shop included in Proctor’s curriculum, noted for its experiential learning. Other harvested wood heats dorms in the winter. In the late winter, maple trees are tapped and syrup is produced in the school’s student-run sugar house. NH

Find It

Andover Historical Society / andoverhistory.org

Northern Rail Trail / fnrt.org

Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (603) 570-8469 / blackheritagetrailnh.org

Proctor Academy / (603) 735-6000 proctoracademy.org

The Cilleyville Covered Bridge is one of two covered bridges in Andover.

Display shelves of the J.C. Emons General Store Museum in Potter Place recreates the feeling of a bygone era.

tickets & info: tickets & info: tickets & info: graniteoutdoor.org graniteoutdoor.org graniteoutdoor.org

Dining Inn

Three Monadnock region inns offer food, drinks and community

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENDAL J. BUSH

Woodbound Inn Owner and Chef Rudy Rosalez practices his craft in the open-concept kitchen.

Nestled in the middle of “nowhere,” a trifecta of historic inns creates a trilateral trail across the picturesque Monadnock region. Francestown’s Blue Bear Inn, Temple’s Birchwood Inn and Rindge’s Woodbound Inn share a heritage dating back to their origins as mid-19th century inns.

Whether you are a world traveler staying a week or a local stopping by for a beer, the town inn is a central spot where friends meet and the community collaborates.

“Just last week we had a couple who were traveling around the United States, and I listened to them talking for hours,” says Brian Faye, bar manager of the Blue Bear Inn. “You really never know what you are going to get or who you are going to be hanging out with.”

The Woodbound and Birchwood Inns also see their share of world travelers. “We

are in the middle of nowhere,” says Rudy Rosalez, chef and owner of the Woodbound Inn. “I’ve had people walk up to that window and say, ‘Wow, this feels like being in New York City.’ We have travelers from all over the world.”

But it’s not just tourists who appreciate the inn experience. Birchwood Inn owner Amy Cabana notes that several of their repeat customers are locals who want to enjoy nearby hiking or just want a change of scenery for a weekend. “We have a couple from Bedford who come every three months for the quiet and the dark skies at night,” Cabana says.

The allure of the Monadnock area inns transcend the necessity of a place to stay for an evening, as all three establishments attract locals who come for the drinks, food and community.

The Woodbound Inn is the largest

establishment in the group with the ability to host big groups and functions with multiple event spaces and 41 rooms, which include lakeside cabins overlooking Contoocook Lake and Mount Monadnock.

The Blue Bear Inn abuts Crotched Mountain, boasting 13 newly renovated rooms each with unique character. A stay at the inn includes use of the outdoor pool, which overlooks a spectacular view of nearby mountains.

The Birchwood offers a boutique experience with just a few rooms that are all well appointed with amenities. And if you happen to stay at the Woodbound or Birchwood on a Saturday night, you will be treated to a Sunday morning brunch.

If you are just popping in for a beverage or a meal, the inns do not disappoint. Each restaurant has its own distinctive character incorporating historical charm, and each

Our plates (and cocktail glasses) were 100% clean after this meal. The pan-seared salmon with a Jameson bourbon glaze, topped with asparagus and served over jasmine rice, shared perfection status with one of the most delicious craft cocktails: a Bonnie & Clyde made with Casamigos tequila, fresh-squeezed blood orange juice and a housemade rim.

pride themselves on exceptional service, fresh food and outstanding cocktails.

The decor of the Birchwood flaunts its history with the “Rufus Porter Room.” The hand-painted murals that date back to the mid-1800s were uncovered during renovations in 1971.

“This inn was built in 1775 and has been an inn for the majority of its life, but it has also been the post office, a tannery, an antique shop and a private home,” Cabana says.

It’s not just the history and the ambiance that attracts folks to the Birchwood. Locals like Emil and Ellen Caron are frequent visitors to the pub who enjoy the fresh, locally-sourced food. On this night, Emil tried the tomahawk pork chop served alongside garlic sautéed broccoli with a fig glaze and balsamic reduction.

“It’s great food, great staff, everything’s always good,” says Emil Caron, who adds with a laugh, “but the portions are way too big!”

Chef Jay Gauthier enjoys engaging with the community and supporting nearby farms and businesses by sourcing ingredients locally. The scallops and pan-seared shrimp entrée is a customer favorite, served with a lobster compound butter made from parsley, rosemary and handmade butter served over a mushroom risotto with red peppers, onions, asparagus and broccoli.

Creating and cooking adventurous cuisine make Gauthier happy, but it is the feedback he receives from the customers that gives him a sense of accomplishment.

“When a server comes back and says the customers are loving the food and said that the scallops or the steak are the best they’ve ever had, chills go through my body,” Gauthier says. “That I just fed that person one of the best meals they’ve ever had is a fantastic feeling.”

Over at the Woodbound, chef and owner Rudy Rosalez spends a good deal of time in the open-concept kitchen overlooking the main dining room.

“I can see my guests dining and enjoying food, and manage my whole restaurant from the kitchen. Seeing them nodding, smiling and taking pictures — it makes you feel good,” says Rosalez, who started his first job in a kitchen as a kid at 17. Five years later he was the executive sous chef running the place.

“Every chef has an ego,” Rosalez says. “They want it to be fed. They say it’s a thankless job, but if you are looking for the right things, you are being thanked all the time.”

The Winslow Tavern at the Blue Bear is an intimate space that offers acoustic music on the weekends, but is devoid of television screens. “I’m a good opener,” Faye says. “I will try to get people to engage, and most people want to. You go to other bars and people are face-down on their phone, not looking up and not talking to people, but that is not this place.”

Lisa and Anker Jensen of Greenfield dropped in to have a beverage before

An old fashioned at the Birchwood Inn is served with a trio of local chesnut, black oyster and pink oyster fried mushrooms alongside house-made ranch.

Chef Jay Gauthier serves up the tomahawk pork chop and pan-seared scallops with an appetizer of locally grown, deep-fried wild mushrooms and ranch dressing.

Birchwood owner Amy Cabana (far right) dances with a young patron on a Tuesday music night at the inn.

grilled flank steak with hand-cut

crispy

Blue Bear Inn owner Lorrie Deyelle Mailhot enjoys a bit of her Canadian heritage as she sips on a Caesar, the official cocktail of Canada.

Lisa and Anker Jensen of Greenfield enjoy a drink from bartender Brian Faye in the Winslow Tavern at the Blue Bear Inn.

A marinated,

fries topped with

shallots and thyme accompany the farmhouse chicken with grilled broccolini in a lemon butter sauce at the Blue Bear Inn.

hopping down to the pool for an afternoon swim. As Lisa took a sip of her drink, she beamed. “The bartender, the service, the owners are exceptional,” she said. “The food is wonderful, and we have a bartender who knows how to make a drink. He’s personable and can keep up with everything.”

Blue Bear Inn owner Lorrie Mailhot relocated from her home in Canada to Francestown about two years ago, and she promptly started renovating the inn. She initially opened Blue Bear as a place to host sewing retreats (which she still offers regularly).

“I want everyone to feel home when they come here,” Mailhot says. “You are not in a hotel. You’re in a place where you can come with your family and be with family.”

She loves the peacefulness and natural setting of the inn, which is close to golfing, hiking and swimming in the warm seasons and skiing or snowshoeing in the winter months. In addition to appreciating the flowers and natural beauty of the inn, the main dining room is a frequent location for painting nights and workshops that are open to the public.

Running and managing an inn isn’t easy work. It is a commitment and a labor of love that this group of entrepreneurs are excelling at. The innkeepers all had challenges with their journeys, but seem to share a happiness knowing that their hard work contributes to the vibrancy of their communities.

Cabana shares that renovating and running the Birchwood Inn with her husband, Matt, is the hardest thing she’s ever done, but they keep going because of the happiness they bring to the community.

“A lot of people who come in here now have relationships with people that they might not have met if it weren’t for this place,” she says.

“I think everybody who stops in is glad they came because, you know, I think they always leave with a little bit more than what they came in with.” NH

Get There

Woodbound Inn

247 Woodbound Road, Rindge woodbound.com / (603) 532-8341

Blue Bear Inn

534 Mountain Road, Francestown bluebearinn.com / (603) 808-0174

Birchwood Inn

340 NH-45, Temple

thebirchwoodinn.com / (603) 878-3285

603 Informer

“Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.” —

Arthur C. Clarke, author and futurist

Extraterrestrials in Exeter

The history (and humans) behind the Exeter UFO Festival

BY CALEB JAGODA / PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX KUMPH

There’s fear of the unknown — and that doesn’t mean that aliens, entities, beings, the presence that surrounds all of this stuff, whatever you want to call it, is benign. But I do know you can document it way back, and I think it’s pretty safe to say it’s been an experience going on for hundreds of years.”

I’m speaking with Dean Merchant, at Me & Ollie’s Café on Water Street in Exeter. Merchant, 72, is talking about the uncertainty of extraterrestrials being friend or foe — and the proven fact, in his mind, that they exist. Merchant is an avid “ufologist” — one who studies UFOs — and, like the classic stereotype of your neighborhoodconspiracy-theorist-extraordinaire, is prone to lapsing into tangent-ridden rambles about flying saucers, the murky gray area of 20th-century American history and, of course, strange local happenings.

The latter of which Merchant is not only an expert of but a heavy contributor to: He and his wife, Pamela, founded the beloved Exeter UFO Festival in 2009. Fourteen years later and the event’s still going strong, attracting nearly 10,000 people each Labor Day Weekend to celebrate, satirize and ponder the possibility of little green men in the sky and their very real foothold on the Granite State town.

This year marks the 11th annual Exeter UFO Festival (with three years off from the

pandemic), with the town demarcating both Saturday, Sept. 2, and Sunday, Sept. 3, for alien-themed jubilee. Over the course of the two days, downtown Exeter will see a host of speakers orating on various extraterrestrial topics, plenty of alien-themed merchandise peddled to festival patrons, a spread of kidsand family-friendly activities at Town House Common, trolley rides to the “Incident at Exeter” grounds (more on that later) and much more. But it wasn’t always this way.

“The festival has probably tripled in size,” says Robert “Bob” Cox, president of the Exeter Area Kiwanis Club. Cox, an 80-yearold, 55-year Exeter resident, explains that the nonprofit children’s charitable organization took over the festival in 2013. At that time, Dean and Pamela had run the fest for four years, offering speakers and events on a much smaller scale. Juggling the red tape of a rapidly growing annual event became more than the Merchants could handle. “An international nonprofit with strong roots, the Kiwanis took it over with the same mission,” Dean says. “That people would not get paid who worked on it, and the money would go into children’s charity.”

The UFO Festival is the Kiwanis Club’s only annual fundraiser, helping them fund scholarship programs for area high school graduates, bicycle helmet giveaways and a litany of other children-centric philanthropic campaigns. All who assist with the festival are unpaid volunteers, with proceeds

< Dean Merchant, founder of the Exeter UFO Festival, holding a hubcap that reminds him of flying saucers.

Merchant standing under the Swasey Pavilion, aka the Exeter Bandstand, which he calls a “stargate.” “I like to think travelers from unknown worlds and different dimensions can arrive and depart from this time-friendly portal,” he says. “I would suggest to your readers that they stand there and hum to discover the perfect acoustics of its design. The symphony of the cosmos and its singing strings.”

coming from the sale of alien merchandise, hot dogs and hamburgers, ticketed trolley rides and a fee to see each year’s speakers. Cox says they can raise up to $30,000 over the course of the weekend.

Cox is a straight-shooter, demurring when asked about his motives for volunteering with the Kiwanis Club since 2001. Merchant, meanwhile, lies on the opposite end of the social spectrum. An engaged, fiery conversationalist with a sharp celerity in his glacial-blue eyes, he doesn’t wait for you to keep up. It’s not so much that he talks fast but that his stream-of-consciousness never stops, eschewing periods and paragraph breaks for one long monologue running the gamut of topic and genre. He also maintains a startlingly unique sphere of interests — among them foraging, real estate, history, journalism and, of course, extraterrestrials.

“Like many old Yankees, I’ve worn many hats,” he says. “Let’s just say I’m selfemployed.”

When prompted if he started the festival to raise awareness about interplanetary life, Merchant is surprisingly dodgy. “No,” he says. “My wife and I started the festival because it’d be fun and interesting, like the one at Roswell, to raise money for children’s charity. And to have a fun, family time that the town could grow around.”

It’s pretty clear that children’s charity wasn’t his only ambition, but Merchant isn’t lying about his dedication to the cause. He and Pamela have helped out with local children’s charities for decades, including a popular “Old Goats for Coats” fundraiser they ran in the early-aughts, offering live goats as an attraction and donating proceeds to buy winter coats for kids. It was toward the end of the decade that Dean’s interest in aliens began to flourish.

As a freelance writer for the “Exeter News-Letter” portion of Seacoast Media Group, Merchant wrote a story in 2009 about one of his Stratham neighbors sighting a UFO. That led to attending a speech from the former director of the Mutual UFO Network, Peter Geremia, and a bevy of subsequent UFO-centric articles. Before long, he found himself fully submerged in the rabbit hole of Exeter’s fascinating UFO history.

“In 1965, about a week before that Labor Day Weekend, a lot of people saw UFOs around and over Exeter,” Merchant says. “I’ve talked to many of the people who saw them.”

The Exeter UFO Festival is widely known as a commemoration of the infamous “Incident at Exeter.” One night on Labor Day Weekend in 1965, 18-year-old Norman Muscarello was walking through Kensington, on his way to his house in Exeter, when he reportedly saw a flying saucer. Muscarello made it to the Exeter police station, where he convinced two officers to come to the scene with him. They both saw the object, too.

If that’s not enough, several other Exeter-area sightings occurred in the span of a few weeks — not to mention the Granite State’s other nationally known UFO case, the Betty and Barney Hill incident. In 1961, the Portsmouth couple were driving through the White Mountains when a spacecraft appeared above their car. They woke up the next morning with little memory of the previous evening, and would undergo years of hypnosis to recover the night’s events.

Similar to the notoriety of New Mexico’s Roswell incident, Merchant wants to position Exeter as a capital of alien activity. “Everybody has hypotheses, but my favorite is the watering hole theory,” Merchant says. He explains that when wildlife photographers visit Africa, they focus on watering holes where they know big game is bound to appear. So, in Merchant’s go-to theory, aliens are the photographers, and watershed moments of American history are big game. “Exeter goes back to America’s roots: the Revolutionary War, Phillips Exeter Academy. It’s interesting; this is kind of a focus area if you were to observe stuff.”

Cox, on the other hand, is less concerned with the extraterrestrial bit — but not

entirely uninterested. “I’m not a die-hard believer, but I’m very open-minded about it, too,” he says. “There are so many things that’re happening now, a lot of information released from the government and that sort of thing, it’s pretty hard not to believe.” Still, when asked why it’s important to keep Exeter’s UFO history alive, he replies, “It’s an opportunity for people to do something on Labor Day Weekend with their kids. A lot of families don’t go anywhere for Labor Day and are looking for something to do. I think it’s important to have that.”

There’s something cosmically entertaining about the two men largely responsible for Exeter’s UFO Festival being such polar opposites: a star-gazer and ruminator of the unknown passing the torch to a pragmatic, no-frills realist.

It’s almost as if fate — or aliens, entities, beings, the presence that surrounds all of this stuff, whatever you want to call it — brought them together to create the perfect festival. I’m not saying I believe in any of it, but I’m not saying that I don’t.

When I ask Merchant why he strives to keep this oddball side of Exeter history alive, why he’s so fascinated with extraterrestrials and UFOs and odd happenings, he tells me it’s something like religion.

“As a little kid down in Essex, Massachusetts, looking up at the sky and the clouds and all of it being so weird, I remember wondering, ‘Who am I? What am I doing here?’” he says. “We don’t even know what the universe is. Let’s look at some of these other things going on, beyond...a mile up where it becomes deep space.” NH

Exeter UFO Festival attendees enjoying arts and crafts at Town House Common.

Fall cocktail inspiration

Gold Rush

Ingredients:

2 parts Maker’s Mark Bourbon

1 part honey syrup (equal parts honey and water)

¾ part fresh squeezed lemon juice

Garnish:

Lemon wedge

Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Strain over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

Tea N Tea Lemonade

Ingredients:

1 part Twisted Tea Sweet Tea Whiskey

1 part Original Twisted Tea

1 part lemonade

Garnish:

Lemon wedge

Combine ingredients in a glass over ice and gently stir to mix. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

Neat

Basil Hayden Malted Rye is best served neat given its complex flavor profile. Serving it neat allows the 100% malted rye mash bill to truly shine, showcasing the delicate notes of floral aroma, vanilla and baking spice.

Old Fashioned

Ingredients:

2 parts Knob Creek® Straight Rye Whiskey

2 dashes Angostura® Bitters

½ part demerara syrup

Garnish:

Lemon Peel

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir until properly diluted. Strain over fresh ice (ideally one large cube) in a rocks glass. Express lemon oil over cocktail and rub around the rim before placing into the glass.

Elderflower Margarita

Ingredients:

2 parts Tres Generaciones Reposado Tequila

½ part simple syrup

¾ parts lime juice

½ part elderflower liqueur

Garnish:

Lime wedge, for garnish Salt, for rim

Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake. Strain into a salted rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

COCKTAIL RECIPES

Blood Orange Crush

Ingredients:

1 ½ parts Truly Blood Orange Vodka

½ part triple sec

1 part orange juice

3 parts citrus soda (ex: Sprite)

Garnish:

Orange wheel or wedge/blood orange wheel or wedge, for garnish

Combine ingredients in a tall cocktail glass with ice and top with citrus soda. Garnish with an orange wheel or wedge/blood orange wheel or wedge.

‘Cheap Old Houses’ are Hard to Find

Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein see gold in those fixer-uppers

BY CASEY McDERMOTT

Ethan Finkelstein isn’t sure if his grandparents’ old farmhouse in Deerfield had insulation, but he knows it had plenty of warmth: his grandfather tinkering with a tractor or boat out in the yard, his grandmother serving up snacks with a fire roaring in the kitchen and his cousins crowding together for a viewing of “The Wizard of Oz.”

According to family lore, his grandparents paid their taxes by making maple syrup on the property.

“It was just a magical place of inspiration and awe,” he says. And, as a Navy brat, “It was the sort of steadfast homestead that we could always go back to.”

After his grandmother died in 2006, his family decided to put the farm up for sale. At the time, Ethan was devastated. He and his then-girlfriend, Elizabeth, had only just started dating, but he figured he’d make one last effort to hold onto the property. “I was like, let’s buy this farm and go move up there,” he says. “And she was like, ‘Well, maybe someday we could do that.’”

In hindsight, Ethan realizes it all worked out for the best.

“It was a little too expensive, and it was falling down, and it would have been a major project,” he says. “For better or for worse, it kind of led us on this multi-decade-long journey of finding our cheap old house and the kind of place that we wanted to build.”

Since then, Ethan and Elizabeth, now married, have built an audience of millions as they find the best “Cheap Old Houses” hiding in plain sight. In addition to their popular Instagram account (@cheapoldhouses, which has 2.4 million followers), their brand now includes a book, forthcoming this fall, and an HGTV/Discovery+ show, set to debut a second season next spring. The couple are now in the middle of renovating their own 1700s-era

Monitoring appearances of the 603 on the media radar since 2006

Ethan’s uncle, Mike Ineson, on the family’s tractor, nicknamed “The Senator.”

Ethan readies “The Senator” to be taken to its new home at their farm in upstate New York.

property in upstate New York, about two hours west of New Hampshire.

Even as their Instagram account continues to post affordable fixer-uppers from cities big and small, Ethan acknowledges there’s a noticeable lack of such listings in the Granite State — where the median home price just reached a record high of $495,000.

“I think it’s a commentary on new homes and how we don’t have enough new houses in the market,” he says, “because clearly there’s enough people who want to be in New Hampshire, and they’re paying the price to do it at the moment.”

Part of the mission of “Cheap Old Houses,” he says, is to show people what’s possible when looking for hidden potential in properties that others might just see as a piece of land to turn over for profit.

“Everyone should be able to live free or die — if it’s in New Hampshire or not — in a cheap old house and a house that’s affordable to them,” he says. “It’s becoming harder and harder in today’s society to find that.”

Still, he and Elizabeth are doing what they can to fix that — one cheap old house at a time. NH

Congratulations to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. Travel + Leisure readers recently ranked it their favorite domestic airport, with the magazine awarding it especially high marks for offering “a delightfully convenient experience for travelers.” The airport staff also got good reviews, with one voter remarking, “All the employees I encounter at MHT are knowledgeable and truly enjoy their job.”

How’s your work-life balance feeling these days? If one recent survey is to be believed, it should be better than most. According to Employee Benefit News, the tech company Hostinger recently ranked New Hampshire first in the nation for offering the best work-life balance: “The state performed particularly well for annual salary, occupational stress and the average hours spent at work each week, and also ranked highly for how far the typical salary rises compared to the current cost of living.” (We imagine some Granite Staters trying to keep up with rising housing costs might beg to differ.)

Live Free and Be First

Since December, headlines have flooded the news about the future of the New Hampshire primary. Many of the voices on either side — the Democratic National Committee versus New Hampshire — speak as though things are all but decided.

This is hardly true. But what hasn’t been discussed enough, until lately, is the real deadline poised to shape the state’s presidential primary for years to come: Sept. 1.

In a surprise move, President Joe Biden’s team plans to significantly alter the Democratic presidential primary calendar for the first time in 50 years. They’ve proposed ending the lead-off Iowa Caucuses, making New Hampshire’s primary the second contest after South Carolina, along with adding a few more states in the early mix.

The goal of all of this was to prevent Biden from facing any real primary challenge, kicking things off in a state he won in the primary, in 2020, instead of in Iowa or New Hampshire. His fourth and fifth place finishes in those states, respectively, were the worst ever for someone who went on to be elected president.

The DNC quickly approved the plan from Biden, in deference to his role as leader of

the party. But implementing this plan has been another matter.

There’s an obvious, big reason for this: The DNC doesn’t administer and pay for elections. States do. Thus, states decide when and where elections are held. All the DNC can decide is whether they wish to seat delegates based on those state-run elections at their national convention.

Two states in particular, Georgia and New Hampshire, refused to do anything the DNC has asked with these primary changes. Georgia didn’t do it because their state house is run by Republicans.

New Hampshire, meanwhile, told the DNC to buzz off (in a bipartisan sort of way). After all, the New Hampshire primary is more than just an election. Being first for over a century has given the state an important cultural institution that no Granite Stater wants to give up. There is also the state law, which directs the New Hampshire Secretary of State to hold the nation’s first presidential primary, which takes place at least seven days before any similar election.

At first, the DNC told states they had to agree to changes in January. Then they told New Hampshire they had until June to change their minds. Then they extended it

again to Sept. 1. The primary is about four months from that deadline.

Here are the DNC’s options in September: They could decide to give the state another waiver and allow New Hampshire to officially be in compliance with DNC rules, or they could rule New Hampshire as acting out of compliance.

In the latter’s case, Biden likely wouldn’t have his name on the ballot and would lose the primary, potentially giving another candidate some political oxygen. It could also set the stage for New Hampshire to regularly have a rogue primary that never officially counts on the Democratic side.

Said another way, if New Hampshire remains officially first in the eyes of the DNC this time around, it’s hard to see how that would ever change. But if the DNC takes some of the power away from the primary, especially if key candidates don’t compete, it could be the beginning of the end for the power of the primary.

To be clear, New Hampshire will hold the first presidential primary for both Republicans and Democrats next year, likely in late January. The only question is whether it will actually count. We’ll know in a few days. NH

BY JAMES PINDELL / ILLUSTRATION BY PETER NOONAN

NH refuses to yield its first-in-the-nation status, leaving the DNC in a pickle over its preferred primary path for Joe Biden

Perambulating at Muchyedo Banks

Canoeing through history down the Merrimack

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARSHALL HUDSON

We park the truck and begin our journey at a Boscawen boat launch on the west side of the Merrimack River. Our canoe put-in is just north of the point where the Canterbury–Northfield town line intersects with the river on the east side.

This is important because our stated objective for the day is to “perambulate” the Boscawen–Canterbury town boundary. Our secondary goal is to have some fun floating down the river. Representatives from Canterbury and Boscawen join our merry band to satisfy the requirements of the New Hampshire perambulation law, which requires that selectmen of adjoining towns “walk the common boundary lines” and renew the marks and monuments every seven years.

Since we can’t walk on water, we’ve decided floating will have to do. We push off and begin paddling downstream, searching for this unobservable town line.

We float past the county jail where, in the 1950s, prisoners with nothing to do but

stare out the window watched a farm on the opposite side of the river. They never saw the farmer working in the fields or his animals grazing in the pastures, but they did observe truck headlights hauling produce all night long.

Prisoners also wondered why the snow regularly melted off the roof of the barn but not the house. When a suspicious sheriff raided the farm, the owner was busted for making illegal moonshine in a hidden room beneath the barn.

The towns of Boscawen and Canterbury are divided by the Merrimack River, so it may not seem necessary to verify the location of this town boundary, but old records indicate a history of contentious lawsuits in the early 1850s disputing the exact location of this town line. Canterbury and Boscawen agreed that the center of the river was the town line, but they disagreed on how the river’s center was determined.

In the lawsuits, one town argued that the center of the river was determined by splitting the difference between the parallel

opposing riverbanks. The other town argued that the deepest channel of the water represented the true middle of the river and therefore the town line location.

The Merrimack River zigzags widely in this area, swinging from bank to bank with lots of bank-hugging, elbow turns leaving long, flat, open areas between the high and distant banks. Thus, the difference between the two debated town line locations was significant. Equal access to the water during low water conditions, ownership of the islands, and ownership of sand and gravel mineral rights were in play depending on which way the courts ruled.

After much legal wrangling, to the dismay of abutting landowners who perhaps lost access to the water during droughts, the court ruled that the center of the river and town line were determined by splitting the distance between the banks, regardless of where the water was. The wisdom of the court seemed to be that splitting the banks would result in an equal cost burden for the two towns during construction and

Our merry band explores the island with a remnant bridge pier to search for the town line marker.

maintenance of any bridges spanning the river. The court also ordered that this newly decreed line be marked on the ground with permanent monuments, as the sandy banks continually sloughed away with the eroding river.

Establishing permanent monuments in a flowing and shifting sandy riverbed is easy to order but difficult to accomplish. The only monument ever established for this decreed town line was a mark in the middle of the Canterbury–Boscawen bridge.

However, this bridge was later removed, leaving only a center pier rising like a pyramid from a small island in the river. When we reached this island, we stopped for refreshments and searched the pier unsuccessfully for the historic boundary mark. It seems likely it was located on the removed portion of the bridge and is now gone forever.

After paddling the river in a canoe, I find that I disagree with the 1851 court decision. I think the center of any river is better defined by the location of the water, rather than distant eroding sandbanks equitable to bridge builders. Our group of perambulators concludes we are not interested in pursuing an appeal of the court’s ruling, so we shrug our shoulders and continue paddling down the river.

We perambulate past the “Muchyedo Banks,” a pair of 60- to 80-feet-tall sandbanks that rise steeply from the river. These

banks derive their unusual name from an incident that took place during the Colonial era. Legend tells that an athletic, young Native American man named Pawgemucket stole the “stylish, ancient, velveteen goto-meeting britches” from one of the early settlers in Boscawen.

Pursued by an angry mob, Pawgemucket dove into the Merrimack and swam across to the steep banks on the Canterbury side. He then scrambled up the slippery banks “like a squirrel.” At the top of the bank, he waved the britches over his head and taunted his pursuers to come and get them.

Later, Pawgemucket was asked how he managed to climb up the loose sandy slope. His reply, in broken English, was brief and to the point: “Much ye do” to climb those banks. Other variations of the legend suggest he had stolen a sack of potatoes instead of pantaloons and referred to the banks as “Much-I-do” instead of Muchyedo.

Continuing downriver, we reach Hannah Dustin Island in the mouth of the Contoocook River where it merges with the Merrimack. This island is just south of the point where the Concord town line intersects the Canterbury–Boscawen boundary we’ve been following, and means we’ve completed our goal. We pull our canoes ashore where Hannah Dustin and other captives were brought against their will in 1697, following a raid on their Haverhill, Massachusetts, settlement.

A granite statue on the island memorializes Dustin’s story. Hannah Dustin killed and scalped her captors on this island and then escaped downriver in a frenzied canoe ride. That chaotic scene is hard to imagine, as I look around this peaceful spot after my lazy canoe ride to get here.

With the official perambulation now complete, we end our journey and make plans to do it again in seven years, allegedly for the purpose of satisfying the requirements of the law. Perhaps that’s just a convenient excuse to spend a quiet day canoeing down the river and observing some little-known historical legends.

Whichever it is, I now have to figure out how to get back to my truck parked 7 miles upstream. NH

The Hannah Dustin monument looms over an otherwise peaceful island, memorializing when Dustin killed, scalped and escaped captors who brought her there.

The center pier, located on a small island that once held up a bridge (which is now gone).

Kween Qathy

PHOTO AND INTERVIEW BY DAVID MENDELSOHN

Dad was a singer and Mom rode elephants in the circus. Her Uncle Tom was a prolific playwright and performer in vaudeville. Add that to growing up in a house full of visiting entertainers, and her destiny was written in greasepaint. Today, Kathy Lowe’s resume includes starring roles as an actor, author, healer, songwriter, filmmaker, singer, musician and comedian. Lowe sweetens each discipline with the regal charm and authority of a 21st-century Renaissance woman (though she’s been cultural royalty to her fans since the latter years of the previous century). So, all hail Kathy Lowe. Long live the Kearsarge Queen.

My parents and grandparents moved to Sutton in the late ’40s from New York City. They were all show-biz people: vaudeville and circus. TV was coming into the culture and changing the “live stage," so they moved to the countryside of New Hampshire and got regular jobs and raised a family.

When our parents came off the road from performing, it never actually stopped. We had a trapeze in the backyard, and our mom taught us and the neighbors' kids how to do some circus tricks.

Our home was often filled with other retired show people visiting and sharing stories, songs, humor, acrobatics and slapstick.

Mom had costumes that she made herself by hand while she was traveling with the circus. We would take those out of an old trunk and dress up. And she had a pet tiger that lived with her in the circus trailer. The photos of her were so gorgeous; she was iconic.

In my early years of performing with my family, I got tracked into music. As time went on in my life, I was feeling disconnected from performance and was scared with stage fright at times.

One teacher I had, Molly Scott, turned my world around and exposed me to the “Sound Healing World of Vibrational Energy” that connects us all. Since 1988, I’ve been hosting a “Sound Healing Circle” at my home — a free group experience of drumming, meditation, personal creative ritual, sound healing and sharing. Amidst all this deep resonant work, my songwriting and performance skills were changing dramatically.

I was the family photographer. In the early ’90s when I was in Utah at Lake Powell, I saw (and shot) my first reflection of Earth in water. I called it a “petreflection” — a word I came up with where “petroglyph and reflection” are slammed together. We were in a small boat in the canyon; I bent down to pick up my hat. I happened to turn my head to one side, and where the canyon wall was reflecting in the water I saw what appeared to be an ancient-looking warrior image.

It’s still my favorite one. I call it “Tribal Warrior.”

Ever since that time, I can’t go by still water without looking sideways to meet new images. I have several thousand now. I knew had a comedy streak in me somewhere that I had not yet tapped into. During the pandemic, in my lonely isolation, something was stirring in me to try something new.

I’d already taken on the name “Qathy,” swapping the K for Q, and Qathy Quarantina seemed perfect for a video series. I did 11 video skits over the first year of COVID.

I wrote the scripts, designed sets and costumes, starred in the videos, directed them and filmed them with my phone and sent them out to friends and associates on Facebook and YouTube. The responses were heartwarming, like, “Thanks for helping me laugh through these hard times. I laughed so hard, I cried.”

It felt like another level of resonant energy work for me. Shared laughter is like a healing touch.

Kathy Lowe was always bound for glory. Back in the 1980s, she was a local folk luminary who seemed set on success. Her musical talents and good humor were a winning combination — but they kept combining in interesting ways over a variety of media. She took artistic journeys into children’s book-making and global peace-making and YouTube video-making and life-together making with her husband, renowned woodworker Peter Bloch. Recent creative projects range from her children’s book “Tommer's Earthly Friends,” to her cerebral encounter with a million-gallon water tank on her CD “Above Water” — all emanating from the Mount Kearsarge region of New Hampshire. Peculiar, perhaps, but never boring, Kathy Lowe appears to be living, breathing and resonating proof that, like love, “glory” is where you find it.

Thanks to Noah Yandow for his assistance securing our location at the Capitol Center for the Arts and Pam Bloch for wardrobe assistance.

Lowe’s mask of “Tribal Warrior,” her first “petrefletion” image.

One of Lowe’s earlier albums, "Early Maturiy, High Interest."

Red Dragon by Mathew Clarke, Midnight Moon

Skin in the Game

Meet some of the luminaries of New Hampshire’s burgeoning tattoo industry

Tattoos are like “decorating a house,” says Jane Abernethy, a tattoo apprentice at Eternal Alchemy in Peterborough. “It’s fun to decorate your body and make it beautiful.”

This sentiment — that getting a tattoo should be an enjoyable, creative experience — translates to the atmosphere at the shop, owned by Heather Smith. The 1,200-square-foot space is bright and clean, filled with plants, comfortable seating and fantastical art that nods toward Smith’s style of tattooing.

On the day photographer Thomas Roy visited the shop, Smith was working with a client who had already spent many hours under her needle and will likely spend many more in the future to complete his full sleeve. The client (who asked to remain anonymous due to the nature of his job) had to wait nine months for his first session with Smith, but she seems to have been worth the wait. Now, they have the easy, trusting rapport you’d hope to build with someone who’ll be adding permanent art to your body over the course of months or even years. V

BY KARA M c GRATH

In New Hampshire, the popularity of tattoos is continuing to grow, and shops like Smith’s that offer welcoming environments are contributing to that growth. There are currently 175 tattoo shops registered as businesses in the state. In July, the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Manchester hosted the 15th annual Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo, a three-day event that underscores the growth of the industry. When it began in 2007, “We had 93 booths and the expo was only two days long,” says Mike Boisvert, graphics and stage manager for the event. This year, they featured 130 booths and over 200 artists, as well as piercers and various other vendors.

Generally speaking, tattooing is becoming more widely accepted as a social construct — and that’s good for business.

“There’s a lot of growth opportunity in New Hampshire,” says Neona Karageorgos, of Neon Lady Tattoo in Manchester. “There are a lot more studios opening up. There’s a wide array of talent out there for clients.”

Here’s a selection of the best and most accomplished studios and artists pressing needles to skin in the Granite State:

Eternal Alchemy Tattoo

215 Concord St., Peterborough

As its website proudly proclaims, Eternal Alchemy Tattoo is run by women artists. Owner Heather Smith has been tattooing for 23 years, starting right around the same time the Massachusetts ban on the practice was lifted. When Smith started her career, she worked in a larger, mostly walk-in shop with seven or eight other artists who would rotate to take clients.

“I would get sent out as the next artist up for whoever walked in, and people would not want me to tattoo them because I was a female,” Smith recalls. Clients would want a “really badass tattoo,” and had doubts that “this little blonde thing” could be their supplier. “I got overlooked a lot,” she says.

The experience helped cement Smith’s desire to open a studio where everyone feels welcome.

“I really want a space where women don’t feel intimidated to walk in,” Smith says. “When people come in, the first thing they tell me is, ‘Oh my god, I feel so comfortable here.’”

Today, the comfortable, cozy Eternal

Alchemy studio is appointment-only, with two artists — Smith and Abigail Blunt — who specialize in custom, illustrative styles of tattoos.

Nature themes seem to be the common thread throughout the wide variety of designs on the shop’s Instagram (@eternalalchemytattoo): Black and gray roses surround a skull-topped pile of books; a turtle swims among the fish as part of an in-progress leg sleeve; a colorful frog enjoys a cup of coffee on top of a toadstool.

Blunt specializes in smaller, patchworkstyle tattoos, while Smith prefers to work on a larger scale. “If somebody wants a humongous project and wants to dive in for a few years and bang out a couple of sleeves, that’s what I do,” she says. Right now, Smith is booking out about a year in advance; Blunt is booking out a couple months at a time, mostly because she’s working on smaller projects.

Smith started out in the art world, working in graphic design when the owner of a shop asked if she wanted to learn how to tattoo. “I said no five times,” Smith says. “How stupid was I?” According to Smith, we can credit an improvement in the quality of modern tattoos to the fact that more and more trained artists are getting into the industry.

“When I first started, you had people tattooing who weren’t ‘artists,’” she says. “They would have flash, they would copy the flash, and they would color it in. It was more a skill than an art form. Over the past 20 years that's completely flipped. People that have gone to art school are going into tattooing. The type of work now is just so different than it used to be because of that. You can get these massive custom back pieces that are just true works of art.”

To get a tattoo is to take home a piece of art that no one else can ever own.

“People aren’t buying original artwork anymore, really, besides snooty people in galleries,” she says. “But for your average artist, there’s no viable option to make a living.”

By getting a tattoo at Eternal Alchemy or anywhere else, you’re helping support artists. As Smith puts it: “Tattooing, I feel, is the last hand-done, commercially viable art form left.” V

→

→

↓

↑ Heather Smith works on a sleeve tattoo in her studio at Eternal Alchemy.

↗ Top right: A completed full back tattoo by Smith features a black cat and rose motif.

This pen-and-ink styled illustration tattoo by Abigail Blunt is a nature-inspired rendering of a blueberry vine.

Bottom right: Blunt, aka "The Stabby Abby," in the studio.

This tattoo by Smith is a 3-D work of art that wraps around the entire thigh area.

The Ivory Rose • 90 Washington St., Suite 303, Dover

If you’re seeking bold, traditional American and Japanese tattooing styles, The Ivory Rose is worth exploring. Unlike your stereotypical, massive walk-in shop that usually scratches that design itch, The Ivory Rose is small and private.

Kyle Harrison and Steve Minerva opened the shop in 2020 after working together for eight years at another location. “We found that we had a very similar style, and our clients were the same type of people,” Harrison says. So, opening a specialized space together made sense.

At 33, Harrison grew up during the early-aughts heyday of Myspace, Inked magazine and the TV show “Miami Ink,” so he never questioned the legitimacy of tattooing as a career. “I’ve always been a tattooer,” Harrison says. “I’ve never really had other jobs.”

Both his and Minerva’s styles draw inspiration from classic designs, though Harrison says he’s more likely to stray away from the style. Harrison prefers to draw his designs from scratch instead of tracing or building off existing flash. As he describes it, his work has “all the language of a classic tattoo, but it’s done a bit differently.” In his portfolio, you’re just as likely to find a bleeding heart or crawling tiger as a Dunkin’ donut or “Mars Attacks!” martian. Even when he leans toward pop culture, Harrison likes using classic tattoo techniques because of their tried-and-true durability.

“People are surprised at how good a traditionally applied Japanese tattoo looks when it’s done well,” he says. “When I decide on a design, I’m anticipating what it will look like in five years.” Creating lines of similar thickness, focusing on even spacing and picking the best placement on the body for a design are key to a tattoo’s longevity, according to Harrison.

Though Harrison says he has enough repeat clients to be booked out a year or more in advance, he prefers to “be more nimble with booking — so I have it booked down to about the three- or four-month mark,” he says.

If you want to get in sooner, having a flexible schedule is the best way to make that happen — clients who, for example, are open to a Wednesday morning appointment have a better chance of getting on the books quickly than the many people who are only available on Saturday afternoon. Those who’ve already started collecting traditional tattoos might welcome the change of pace Harrison's and Minerva’s space offers. “It’s not a gigantic tattoo shop,” Harrison says. “The door isn’t opening for anybody who isn’t getting tattooed, and the phone’s not ringing off the hook, because we handle it all through email.”

For the first time in his career, Harrison says he’s able to only focus on the tattoo appointments he has that day. “I only work on a couple tattoos a day,” he says. “It’s the perfect speed. My clients can hang out.” V

↑ At top: A leg tattoo by Kyle Harrison inspired by the Tim Burton movie "Mars Attacks!"

↗ A recently completed belly tattoo by Steve Minerva combines floral, wings and insect ink work.

↗ This upper-body tattoo from The Ivory Rose is inspired by the bold, traditional styles of Japanese and American tattoos.

Midnight Moon • 56 NH Route 25, Meredith

First opened in 1993, Midnight Moon is one of the older shops in New Hampshire. With 30 years in business, married co-owners Michaela and Mathew Clarke have seen plenty of change in how the tattoo industry is perceived. Back when the shop opened, tattooing was seen as extremely niche — and was far less accepted. “The people who were into tattoos were people who were into tattoos,” Mathew says. “Now we tattoo anybody and everybody from all walks of life.”

Right now, Midnight Moon hosts five tattoo artists and one piercer (Michaela), all of whom specialize in different design styles. “That’s intentional,” Mathew says. “It creates a lot of diversity in the shop... and it’s beneficial for the clientele because we can pretty much do whatever somebody’s asking for.”

This is helpful in a less densely populated area. The Clarkes, who were in Concord for about 16 years, came to the Lakes Region to “quiet down and get away from a lot of that,” Mathew says. “But that quietness has kind of gone away.

We’re pretty busy.”

One only needs to scroll on the shop’s Instagram (@midnightmoontattoo) for a few seconds to see diverse talent at Midnight Moon. Mathew specializes in brightly colored, highly detailed Japanese traditional work. Amber Quartz does gorgeous neo-traditional and illustrative designs, often using neon and pastel ink. If you’re looking for hyper-realistic portraits, Timm Myers is your guy.

Francis Flores is the shop’s American traditional artist (who is “very popular with the younger crowd right now,” Michaela says), while Robert Blackadar expertly bangs out geometric designs and optical illusions. Michaela also can hook you up with just about any type of piercing your heart desires. (She operates under the name Siren Body Piercing, also located inside Midnight Moon.)

At smaller shops, it’s common for a client to seek out an appointment because of an artist’s particular style. For Midnight Moon, it’s more about the overall reputation, Mathew says. Sometimes a client will reach out for an appointment

without knowing anything about their specific artists. You can call the shop with your tattoo idea, and they’ll be able to recommend the best artist for the job.

“We run our shop professionally,” Mathew says. “We have some serious skin in the game.” V

↗ Mathew Clarke's specialty is classic Japanese tattoos.

↗ This Japanese goldfish design, by Clarke, has a whimsical air.

↗ This traditional American-style tattoo is by artist Francis Flores.

The Darling Grey • 48 Kearsage Road, North Conway

The Darling Grey, as owner Jess Fenn puts it, has got a vibe. “Not to be, like, a hippie about it,” she says, “but it’s got a really good feeling.”

First opening in 2016, the shop's grown into “an oasis for all lovers of art and counterculture,” as their website puts it. Fenn — who suffers from anxiety — was determined to create a soothing space. “The whole shop is covered in plants,” she says. “I wanted a very calm environment. I didn’t want people to walk in and feel like they weren’t cool enough.”

Four tattoo artists (including one apprentice) and a piercer work at The Darling Grey. All of the artists seem to primarily hover in the illustrative space, though they each implement their own unique flourishes.

Fenn, for instance, often works with fantastical elements, like little ghosts or mythical mermaids. “I love anything involving nature,” she says of her favorite designs to work on. “Anything that has a flow and can complement someone’s body.”

Many of April Surette’s designs look like they’re straight out of a storybook. Beth Potter does more of the “old school, traditional art,” as Fenn describes it. Apprentice Caleb Ring is continuing on the nature-themed path, currently specializing in smaller, black-and-gray designs.

Fenn started tattooing 17 years ago and, similar to Heather Smith’s experience, found the industry a bit intimidating. “There were a lot of men in the industry that didn’t like women tattooing,” Fenn says. Between those less-than-ideal experiences and her own anxiety, it took a while for her to feel confident in her skill set. Today, though, is a different story; the talent of Fenn and her team is definitively recognized. Thanks largely to social media, Fenn says people travel from all over to get a design at The Darling Grey.

“It’s so nice to hear, ‘Oh, I heard about you, and I live four hours away,’” Fenn says. “I feel so, so grateful. They could go anywhere because there are good tattooers everywhere now. So the fact that they still come here — that’s pretty awesome.”

She credits her success to her team and their diverse backgrounds. “The four people I work with are such amazing people,” she says. “Beth just became an end-of-life doula. April is a CrossFit instructor.” Their piercer, Wayne Morris, Fenn describes as “a big, burly dude” who is “such a gem...the sweetest guy.”

“I can’t take credit for how awesome this shop is, because it’s definitely a group effort,” Fenn says. V

↑ At top: Owner and artist Jess Fenn employed a Victorian-era garment feeling to this black-and-white, neck-and-shoulder tattoo.

↑ A mythical water dragon, also by Fenn, appears to float across this client's back and shoulders, creating a moving artscape.

Neon Lady Tattoo • 819 Second St., Unit 2, Manchester

After seven years in the tattoo industry, Neona Karageorgos decided to open up her own private tattoo studio, but ran into trouble finding a space that would lease to a tattoo artist.

“There’s still a lot of discrimination against the industry,” Karageorgos says. “A lot of folks, once they found out I was opening up a tattoo studio, they didn’t get back to me.” Eventually, she found “an elderly couple” who were completely on board. That elderly couple’s open-mindedness meant Karageorgos could open Neon Lady Tattoo, an appointment-only studio.

Karageorgos’s goal was to forge a comfortable ambience with creative flair. “It’s not necessarily a spa-like environment, but feels more like an art gallery,” she says. “You see custom art on the walls, not just tattoo flash.”

Karageorgos — who specializes in illustrative styles — worked alone for about six months before her commonlaw husband, Hickory, decided to become her apprentice. Now he’s a full-time artist, creating American traditional tattoos and lettering that create “a nice balance” to Karageorgos’s style.

“I do a lot of portraiture, specifically pets,” she says. “I do get a lot of requests for surrealist concepts, which is super fun. I’ve been doing a lot of florals with human characteristics, like they’ll have eyes and mouths or maybe bones.” In March, Karageorgos weclomed a third artist — Nina Li, who specializes in fine-line, black-andgray designs — to the Neon Lady team.

Karageorgos gets a lot of tattoo first-timers, especially people in their 50s, 60s and 70s, who always wanted body art but grew up at a time when it was less accepted. Now that it’s not so taboo, they’re eager to express themselves in ink.

“I think it goes back to the nature of what’s going on in the world right now,” Karageorgos says. “I have a client in her 70s. I did her first tattoo. It was a small one on her back.” Since then, she’s turned into a repeat client.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Karageorgos also does a lot of impressive coverups. (In fact, I became determined to include The Neon Lady in this story after watching a video of Karageorgos cover up a dark blue unicorn design with a gorgeously detailed red rose.) “I enjoy doing coverups because of the challenge,” she says, noting that she rarely asks clients to get removal first, though she understands why other artists do. “You’re limited in concept, because you have to utilize the existing tattoo.”

As long as the client is willing to be flexible and not, for example, trying to cover a black tribal armband with white roses, Karageorgos says she can make it work. “I’ll usually suggest florals, things with texture,” she says. “It’s fun to give people their confidence back.” V

↑ At top: This floral design by owner and artist Neona Karageorgos looks more like a pastel drawing than a tattoo — which shows the diversity of techniques that can be achieved.

↑ This tattoo by Karageorgos combines beauty with the bizzare, reminiscent of artist Salvador Dalí.

Dark Mark Tattoo • 341 West St., Keene

If you’re ever on the tattoo side of TikTok, you may have already seen some Dark Mark Tattoo designs without even realizing. About a year and a half ago, owner Cynthia Finch started offering what’s known as “Get What You Get” tattoos.

Instead of coming in with a preconceived idea or picking from a book of flash, clients can pay a flat rate to spin an old-school candy dispenser containing an assortment of pre-drawn designs — at which they get what they get. Videos of clients in this thrill ride of chance have gone viral on TikTok, particularly during Halloween when the dispensers are filled with spooky designs.

Dark Mark isn’t the only shop to offer the concept, but Finch says the way they do it is unique. “I use them as one-time designs, and I’ll let you go until you like the one you get, for an extra fee,” she says. “I don’t believe anyone should get something they don’t like tattooed on them. The designs are taken out once I tattoo them, and I draw a new one to replace it.” Finch tries to keep about 50 designs for each of the five themes on hand at all times. “That’s a lot of pre-drawing to do,” she says.

While the GWYG method might be flashy, Finch says the majority of customers “prefer to make an actual appointment, instead of getting a random tattoo.” For that, they can go to one of the shop’s four artists: Finch, Tristan Lewel-

lyn, Crystal Grace Warner and apprentice Dylan Boucher, who just started taking appointments last spring. Currently, most of the artists are appointment-only, though Finch says Boucher will start taking walk-ins soon.

While Dark Mark has a reputation for its nostalgic, pop-culture-themed designs — the shop’s Instagram page (@ darkmarktattoo) is a veritable treasure trove of millennial nostalgia, from Disney characters to Pokémon and Neopets — Finch celebrates each artist’s unique style. Frequently, the team will do an exercise where they pick a random prompt — “snake inside a bottle” or “pant fox,” to name two recent ones — and all draw their own interpretation. Finch started this because it was fun, but also because she wants to create a culture where people reach out asking to get a tattoo from a particular artist who could excitedly bring an idea to life.

“We are artists and we love partnering with someone in that way,” Finch says. “This is our artwork, our passion, and we want to give you something amazing. It is important to care who does your forever body art.” NH

↑ This sleeve tattoo by Finch is a delightful mash-up of Saturday morning cartoons.

↑ From left to right, Cynthia Finch, Tristan Lewellyn, Dylan Boucher and Crystal Warner.

Amherst’s Darren Garnick, with a small sampling of his three-decade-old cereal box collection. Darren would like to see a New Hampshire restaurant or diner host a Cereal Box Museum with his collection (see page 59).

In the heart of flea market season, we visited the homes of some of New Hampshire’s most fascinating and passionate hobbyists. Far from being “hoarders” or “packrats,” these “Supercollectors” are meticulous museum curators — albeit ones who are always running out of shelf space.

BY DARREN GARNICK

PHOTO BY ALLEGRA BOVERMAN

On April 8, 1979, 11-time Grammy Award winner Linda Ronstadt — dubbed the “First Lady of Rock” because she was the first female singer to headline arena concert tours — purchased $37.98 worth of makeup from Valerie Cosmetics.

At the peak of her popularity, the rock star didn’t delegate her lipstick decisions to her support staff. We now know this because Ronstadt’s signed check to the cosmetics shop anchors the music memorabilia collection of Barry Deslauriers, a retired government financial analyst from Hudson. (Canceled personal bank checks have been traditionally coveted by autograph collectors because they validate that a celebrity’s signature is genuine.)

“I had a crush on her and love her voice. She can sing any genre of music,” says Deslauriers, who found the Ronstadt check on eBay. “If you want to hear the power of Linda’s voice and the longest note held I’ve ever heard, listen to her sing ‘Trouble Again.’”

Deslauriers, a vinyl record collector, displays an eclectic potpourri of pop music kitsch in his home — including Fisher-Price “Little People” toys of The Beatles, a set of Elvis PEZ dispensers, a Roger Daltrey action figure commemorating his cameo on “The Simpsons” and a broken Dean Martin figurine whose lips no longer move when singing “That’s Amore.”

Whether its autographs, action figures, fashion dolls, coins, stamps, baseball cards, Beanie Babies, Star Wars toys, comic books or a slew of other collectibles, the objects that people choose to collect are a physical, visible extension of their personalities.

If he were alive today, Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, would be a huge fan of New Hampshire’s high saturation of antique stores. According to The

New Yorker, from the 1890s to the 1930s, Freud had accumulated “a private museum of more than 2,000 Greco-Roman statues, busts, Etruscan vases, rings, precious stones, Neolithic tools, Sumerian seals, Egyptian mummy bandages and Chinese jade lions.”

“I must always have an object to love,” he reportedly told colleague Carl Jung.

To celebrate the heart of flea market season — antique hunting often complements foliage-watching here in the fall — New Hampshire Magazine reached out to some of our state’s most passionate collectors and asked if they’d share some of the objects they love.

When he was growing up in Seabrook in the early 1970s, aviation mechanic Bill Greenwood enjoyed putting his Matchbox and Hot Wheels diecast toy cars in perilous situations. He shot at them with BB guns and lit firecrackers under the tires. Not surprisingly, no cars survived his childhood.

Picking up the hobby again in his mid30s, Greenwood has since amassed a per-

sonal collection of more than 8,400 different toy vehicles with a heavy focus on 1960s and ’70s muscle cars (Chevy Camaros, Ford Mustangs, Mercury Cougars, Plymouth Barracudas, etc.) He’s much kinder to his toys now, running his own car “dealership,” the Double Play Hobby Consignments, out of a former antique barn in Milford.

“Selling and customizing toys is a lot easier on my back than crawling under planes,” says Greenwood, who still pulls out his full-size wrenches for occasional airport gigs. “Everyone who comes in here wants to hold a piece of their childhood. And that’s true for me, too. I’m lucky to be surrounded by my memories every day.”

Radio DJ Chris Garrett, the morning show host for 99Rock-WFRD in the Upper Valley (Hanover/Lebanon), also feels like he’s reclaiming parts of his childhood every time he finds a new addition to his 300+ “Sad Sack” comic book collection. Originally a comic strip in U.S. Army newspapers during World War II, “Sad Sack” is a bumbling soldier experiencing some of the humilities and ironies of everyday military life. The character was later taken over by Harvey Comics, the publisher best known for its “Casper the Friendly Ghost” and “Richie Rich” titles.

“I can’t pass a flea market or antique place without searching for ‘Sad Sacks.’ But 90% of the stuff I see is all superheroes. Nobody has Harvey Comics,” Garrett laments. “For me, the comics are a connection to my father, who was in the National Guard. When I was about 5 years old visiting the base, one of his buddies gave me a pile of them. And my dad urged me to read them

Canceled celebrity checks are favored by autograph collectors to prove authenticity.

As a kid, Hot Wheels collector Bill Greenwood used to throw firecrackers at his cars. He takes better care of his toys today.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARRY DESLAURIERS / PHOTO BY DARREN GARNICK

all. He said the stories were about a ‘funny guy in the army,’ just like him.”

Garrett is also obsessed with vintage 1970s Topps Wacky Packages (also known as “Wacky Packs”), irreverent stickers that parodied popular consumer brands. For example, Gillette’s Right Guard deodorant became “Fright Guard,” with a scent “that will scare off your enemies and friends.” General Mills’ Wheaties cereal became “Weakies,” the “Breakfast of Chumps,” and so on.

“I stuck these things on my bedroom door, on lockers, absolutely everywhere,” recalls Garrett. “That’s what the stickers were meant for. But I do regret not saving them instead. I still look online for the older ones. Everything shapes you in a small way. I think my sense of humor today is somehow connected to what made me laugh as a kid.”

Portrait photographer Sid Ceaser stuffs the shelves and walls of his Nashua studio with his pop culture obsessions. Other than naming his office a “Museum of Sid,” it’s tough to narrow down a theme for his mishmash display. Action figures from the movies “Jaws” and “Indiana Jones” jockey for space with diecast Japanese robots and old Polaroid cameras. Lightsaber replicas from the original “Star Wars” trilogy hang nearby, with Spider-Man and Green Lantern toys sprinkled around for good measure.

“If a customer comes in for a portrait, and they’ve never met me before, right away they can look around and get a feel for who I am,” Ceaser says.

“They might see something they can relate to and then not be so nervous. I had one guy who seemed really uncomfortable in front of the camera and was at first as quiet as a mouse. But then he made a beeline toward some of my anime toys and started naming them and all the series they’re from. And he completely came out of his shell.”

Ceaser also enjoys pulling some of his toys off the shelf and shooting dramatic portraits of them with natural backdrops.

“I like collecting things I can interact with,” he explains. “As a creator, I often help musicians with making artwork for albums and CDs. I just like everything about a physical product. I like thinking about how

something was designed, how the packaging influences the marketing. I just like tactile things, as opposed to everything being online and existing on a bunch of servers somewhere.”

Over the next few pages, we celebrate six New Hampshire Supercollectors who also cherish objects they can touch, versus experiencing the many “virtual exhibits” proliferating on the internet. All of them deserve the title of “archivist” or “museum curator,” and all of them perpetually battle the most nefarious enemy facing collectibles of every genre: dust.

Special thanks to all the collectors who graciously welcomed us inside their homes!

Radio DJ Chris Garrett appreciates “wacky” satire.

Portrait photographer Sid Ceaser loves to pose his toys, too.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS GARRETT / PHOTO COURTESY OF SID CEASER

Pop Culture PEZervation

Dave Bernier + Museum of PEZ Dispensers, Sanbornton

When retired state Bureau of Traffic designer Dave Bernier goes to sleep each night, there are dozens of tiny eyeballs staring at him. Among the familiar faces squinting in the dark: Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Tom & Jerry, E.T., Speedy Gonzales, Batman, and Bullseye, the eye-ringed dog mascot of the Target Corporation.

The PEZ retail display rack and wallmounted shelves of characters in his bedroom are a mere fraction of the hundreds of PEZ dispensers decorating his home and the countless thousands of others that unceremoniously live in storage.

“I just love the character heads, the bright colors and the history,” Dave says. “Collecting just takes me back to the late 1960s when I would be grocery shopping with my mom. It was a ritual for us to buy a new one whenever we were in the checkout line.”

For those unfamiliar with ubiquitous PEZ candy, the company was founded

in 1927 in Austria, first specializing in peppermint tablets. PEZ came to the United States in the 1950s and introduced plastic character heads to their springloaded dispensers — which have become pop cultural icons.

Dave proposed to his wife, Patti, at the 1999 Northeast PEZ Collectors Convention

in Connecticut, and later hired an artist to make a PEZ wedding cake topper portraying her as Princess Leia and him as Mueslix (from the European “Asterix” comics).

“I’m just amazed that PEZ dispensers are still in the supermarket aisle,” he says. “New kids are discovering them every day.” V

Dave and Patti Bernier, who got engaged at a PEZ convention, also had a PEZ-themed wedding cake topper.

Dave Bernier, channeling the spirit of a candy dispenser at PEZ headquarters in Connecticut (inset photo), fondly recalls childhood grocery shopping with his mom whenever he sees PEZ.

Gate City Smithsonian

Craig Michaud + Museum of Nashua History, Nashua

One of the benefits of transforming your entire basement into a city history museum is that you get to define what’s history and what’s not.

A 1999 graduate of Nashua High School, Craig Michaud’s meticulously curated exhibit on the “Gate City” is packed with items you’d expect to see at a historical society display: police badges, firefighter maps, military uniforms, school sports trophies, mayors’ “keys to the city,” glass milk bottles from local dairies, streetcar tokens and minor league baseball memorabilia.

But he also preserves more obscure items, including: pizza boxes, restaurant menus, bar swizzle sticks, an original shopping cart from the defunct Bradlees department store, and a skimpy tank top from the former Nashua Hooters “breastaurant.”

Michaud, who works as an HVAC professional and also as a photographer for the Boston Bruins Alumni charity team, considers documenting Nashua his third occupation. His basement museum could easily be a full-time job on its own.

“The museum space stops here,” says Craig, pointing at his two rooms of shelved

memorabilia. “My wife says nothing can come upstairs. I started buying items at estate sales and on eBay, but now people who are cleaning out their attics are contacting me to see if I’m interested in their stuff.”

Craig’s museum gets about a dozen visitors (by appointment only) a month,

reaching many more people through his “Nashua, NH: Past, Present and Future” Facebook group.

“I would love to have a bigger Nashua history museum downtown,” he says, “but it’s tough for me to picture how to financially pull that off.” V

PHOTO BY ALLEGRA BOVERMAN

Michaud saves menus, advertising and ash trays from Nashua restaurants, believing they are overlooked memorabilia that capture the city’s business culture.

Nashua history buff Craig Michaud has an extensive memorabilia collection from minor league teams that once played at Holman Stadium. Nashua City Hall recently borrowed some of his 1940s Nashua Dodgers items for an exhibit.

Chocolate-Covered Contraband

Erin Farwell + Museum of Kinder Egg Prizes, Milford

It is unfathomable to imagine that all of Erin Farwell’s thumb-sized plastic toys came from an illegal source — hollow chocolate eggs that are banned in the United States.

Based on a 1930s law forbidding candy containing non-food objects inside, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not allow Kinder Surprise Eggs to be sold domestically because of a potential choking risk. Curiously, the confection is sold in nearly every other country in the world to children with similar anatomy as Americans.

The eggs contain a yellow plastic capsule in the middle — the “yolk” — containing prize pieces for the eater to assemble. Some of the prizes are licensed figurines of cartoon characters, while the more complex ones are engineering marvels with moving parts. (It is not illegal to bring the toys to the U.S., just the wrapped chocolate itself.)

“There’s just so much detail in these little things,” says Erin, who’s a historical mystery novelist when she’s not organizing her miniatures. “I love how the parts cleverly fit

together and can all fit in a tiny little egg.”

Erin estimates she has 2,000 Kinder toys in her personal collection, and a reserve of 10,000 she sells to fellow collectors worldwide on Etsy.

“I just appreciate the creativity and charm

of these toys,” she says. “I’d love to meet the designer who thought of turning a hippo into Marilyn Monroe, or making crazy little aliens trying to feed the bird inside a cuckoo clock, or a clam who sticks his tongue out. They’re amazing!” V

What if a hippo wanted to dress like Marilyn Monroe? You can stop imagining.

Collector Erin Farwell is mesmerized by the design and creativity of the prizes found inside chocolate Kinder Surprise Eggs, which are banned in the United States.

An Alarming Hobby

Geoffrey Kittredge + Museum of Clocks, Nashua

Eighth-grader Geoffrey Kittredge gets lots of practice at time management. Nearly every square inch of his bedroom is covered with clocks, each with their own unique alarms, wind-up mechanisms and batteries to be replaced.

“When I was 5, I had three major interests: teapots, butterflies and clocks. So my grandpa combined them all and made me a teapot-shaped clock with butterflies on it,” the Fairgrounds Middle School student recalls. “It wasn’t until a few years later that I actually started collecting. I got some for my birthday, and then my grandparents got some from IKEA for me.”

The gem of Geoffrey’s 140-strong collection is the Seiko “Melodies in Motion” clock, which randomly switches around the numbers and plays both classical and Christmas music. There are also character-themed clocks (Superman, Star Wars), ones with visible gears, ones that project the time on the ceiling and cuckoo clocks. One even plays the “Peanuts” theme song.

Geoffrey shares new additions to his collection on his “Hurricanic Clocks” YouTube page, which at press time had more than 700 subscribers.

One of the collector’s favorite activities is to set the alarms on all his clocks a few minutes before midnight on New Year’s Eve and listen to them all go off at once. Then he joins his family for the real New Year’s countdown.

On the other 364 nights of the year, Geoffrey’s clocks remain more low-key.

“All the tick-tock noises don’t keep me up at night,” he shrugs. “I usually sleep right through it.” V

Who Wants to Curate a Cereal Box Museum?

After three decades of archiving fun cereal memorabilia, a lifelong collector decides to pass on the breakfast torch

The year 2023 has marked two major milestones in breakfast cereal history. First, it’s the 60th birthday of Cap’n Crunch, the cheery sea captain who hasn’t aged since 1963.

Perhaps even more significant is that this Halloween, a green-skinned zombie DJ named “Carmella Creeper” will break through the cardboard ceiling. The first female monster at General Mills will serve caramel apple-flavored cereal, joining Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Yummy Mummy, Boo Berry and Frute Brute.

I knew about these developments before the average consumer through my cereal-saturated Instagram feed. But I chose not to act on the early intelligence.

In previous years, when I’d learn about a new cereal promotion, I’d rush down to Market Basket to find a pristine box to flatten and archive for my collection. I started this habit when I was a student at the University of Massachusetts in the late 1980s. One of my college buddies had created a “cereal museum” in his dorm, and I was inspired to build my own.

But decades later, I’ve given up the dream. For more than 30 years, my museum has remained hidden inside plastic Rubbermaid containers. I kept adding to the collection — how could I resist the rebirth of Quaker’s Quisp, the propellerbeanied alien created by Bullwinkle cartoonist Jay Ward — but every new acquisition just disappeared into storage.

Now it’s time to pass the breakfast torch. There’s a subculture of cereal box collectors on eBay. But instead of auctioning them off, I’d love to see a local restaurant or diner with some extra wall space carry on my legacy. In return for a generous donation to the New Hampshire Food Bank, I will happily deliver my archive of 125+ boxes to the right home. (Please visit my online photo gallery of all the boxes at https://bit.ly/ cerealboxmuseum.)

In the 1990s, my friend and I went on a 2,000mile road trip to Chicago and back, including Battle Creek, Michigan, as one of our landmark stops. Battle Creek, home to Kellogg’s world headquarters, was etched in my brain as the address you mailed boxtops to when sending away for prizes.

When we walked into the lobby, I was expecting to see the original Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam concept sketches. Instead, we were handed a mini-box of cereal and asked to leave.

My poorly timed visit came during a stale time in Kellogg’s public relations. The company had given factory tours for 74 years, from 1912 to 1986, closing out of fear of corporate espionage (Post Cereal is also in Battle Creek).

And then from 1998 to 2007, they ran “Kellogg’s Cereal City USA,” a downtown museum that included an automated replica of the production line.

A cynical review on RoadsideAmerica.com had this to say about the museum’s quick demise: “Cereal City USA is a faint echo of a lost time, an attraction geared to getting Americans used to the idea of NOT seeing things being made. Now that the factories have been outsourced to Mexico and China, we’re being taught to redirect our consumer love toward the marketing, not the manufacturing.”

Without even a spoonful of shame, I do love the marketing and always will. Maybe seeing a scaled-down New Hampshire “Cereal Box Wall” or “Cereal Box Room” will finally erase the lingering disappointment from that ill-fated Battle Creek pilgrimage.

— Darren Garnick

So what do you say, diner owners? Any bites out there? Contact Darren at cerealboxmuseum@ gmail.com

Geoffrey Kittredge has his own clock-themed YouTube channel.

PHOTO BY ALLEGRA BOVERMAN / PHOTO BY DARREN GARNICK

Toying With Nature

Todd Zingales + Museum of G.I. Joes, Hollis

Todd Zingales, a pastry chef for New Hampshire Job Corps, likes cooking up different scenarios for customizing his G.I. Joe collection. His basement workshop includes materials for painting, sculpting and even replacing flocked hair. He might turn a plastic Easter egg into a space helmet for a NASA astronaut, or use clay to turn a G.I. Joe’s face into a character inspired by “The Wizard of Oz.”

But Todd gets even more whimsical with his toys when he brings them outside the basement.

“My wife, Beth, has an obsessive hiking disorder and convinced me to join her in climbing the 48 4,000-footers in New Hampshire — and also the ‘52 With a View,’ which is every mountain in the state under

4,000 feet. Probably the worst thing I’ve done in my life. It was brutal,” he says with a smirk. “So to make things more interesting, everytime we’d go up a different mountain, I’d bring a different G.I. Joe.”

Photos of G.I. Joe admiring the idyllic scenery now decorate Todd’s workshop. His proudest feat is sending one of his action figures in a barrel over Purgatory Falls in Mont Vernon. The padded barrel featured modified packaging from the classic “Barrel of Monkeys” toy.

“When I was a kid, I’d zip my G.I. Joes down zip lines, dig trenches for them, have battles with the other kids,” Todd says. “So as an adult, if I can spend a few hours thinking about when I was nine, it feels pretty good.” V

COURTESY PHOTO/PHOTO BY ALLEGRA BOVERMAN

G.I. Joe enthusiast Todd Zingales recently sent his action-adventure pal down Mont Vernon’s Purgatory Falls in a padded plastic barrel.

When toy collector Todd Zingales was a kid, he favored the G.I. Joe Adventure Team figures, which included jungle, desert, mountain and ocean expedition themes.

Berry Berry Cute

Catherine Brouillette + Museum of Strawberry Shortcake, Peterborough

that she doesn’t remember how she escaped. But Catherine does recall everyone commenting on how her childhood bedroom “smelled like fruit.”

For those of you who didn’t experience girlhood in the 1970s and ’80s, Strawberry Shortcake was an American Greetings card cartoon turned into a scented-doll and merchandise line. Her friends and pets all had fruit or dessert-themed names.

As a child, Catherine had the rag dolls, plastic figurines, pajamas, records, lunchbox and drinking glasses. Then, like a scene out of Pixar’s “Toy Story,” the Cabbage Patch Kids dolls came along and Strawberry Shortcake found herself slumped across the yard sale table.

“Years later, I was kicking myself for selling those dolls,” she says. “I wish I had them back.”

might think of it as the merger of two Strawberry Shortcake museums.

Every summer, Catherine hosts a small gathering of fellow Strawberry Shortcake collectors at her home to try to sell some excess toy inventory, but also to bond with kindred spirits over strawberry cupcakes.

“I’ve made a lot of friends in this hobby over the years,” she says. “Right now, we’re the only Strawberry Shortcake gathering going on anywhere.” NH

Show us your stuff and win

One of Catherine Brouillette’s earliest memories of Strawberry Shortcake — the doll, not the dessert — was finding herself stuck headfirst in the zippered end of her character-themed sleeping bag.

It was a berry, berry precarious situation

Bit by the nostalgia bug in her college years, Catherine started buying back her childhood; today, she may have one of the largest Strawberry Shortcake collections in the world. In 2013, she acquired a 30-year collection that decorated a berry-themed bed and breakfast in Pennsylvania. You

Are you a super collector? Email editor@ nhmagazine.com a photo of your special collection by Sunday, Sept. 10, and be automatically entered to win a pair of two-day passes for Granite State Comicon (happening Sept. 15-17 in Manchester) or a gift certificate to Double Midnight Comics & Collectibles. Multiple random winners will be selected and notified by Monday, Sept. 11.

Catherine Brouillette has one of the largest Strawberry Shortcake collections in the world.

Strawberry Shortcake was a merchandising juggernaut in the 1970s and 80s.

THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION

A NEW HAMPSHIRE WINE STORY

Amy LaBelle lights up when she talks about grapes. The owner of LaBelle Winery in Amherst joined the New Hampshire winemaking community in 2010, when she and her husband, Cesar Arboleda, took a chance on opening a winery in the Granite State.

The cellar at LaBelle’s Winery is steeped in the smell of oak and grapes. LaBelle and her team harvest more than 7,000 pounds of grapes each year, but wine production in New Hampshire is not without its perils. A hard-freeze last year in the spring wiped out a seasonal crop in as little as five hours.

“I sat right in the vineyard and I cried,” LaBelle says. “But you can only do that for five minutes. Then you need a plan.”

BY MICHAEL HAUPTLY-PIERCE PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENDAL J. BUSH

→ Amy LaBelle overlooks one of LaBelle's vineyards as she stands on a swing made from reclaimed wine cask.

Like other grape growers in New Hampshire, LaBelle’s plan includes hard work and partnering with other growers. She collaborates with trucker teams who drive virtually nonstop to bring West Coast grapes — less immune to frigid temperatures — as a substitute when New Hampshire grapes succumb to the cold.

Just this year, LaBelle pruned all of her 2002 grape vines alone. Augmenting her crop with California grapes is painful, but it has allowed LaBelle to maintain her primary reliance on New Hampshire grape production.

The freeze that brought tears to Amy LaBelle took its toll on growers throughout New Hampshire. Flag Hill Winery in Lee lost about 90% of its grapes. Flag Hill grows 100% of its own grapes, and it leans on long-standing friendships to fill in when the crop suffers.

With a small plot of 30 or 40 vines, Rue and Sallie Nijhof are in a better position to survive a freeze. Rue Nijof’s solution to the cold? “I planted (vines) in a microclimate contained by other vegetation.” What doesn’t make it into the wine bottle, the Nijhofs donate to home winemakers.

With endless stories of frozen grapes and entire crops obliterated by harsh weather, it’s hard to imagine how a wine industry could possibly take hold and prosper in New Hampshire, especially given more favorable growing conditions in California, France and Italy.

How'd it happen, then? Steadfast determination and a path that goes all the way back to the intrepid Viking explorer Leif Ericson, who cataloged a grape species vitis labrusca in the 11th century in what would become North America.

Related to the species vitis vinifera from Eurasia, the former species is a totally different plant with different characteristics: It is freeze-resistant and has heartier root-stock with a “slip-skin” that causes the fruit to pop out of its skin if given a gentle squeeze.

The wild varietals recorded by Ericson were unpredictable in both yield and quality, and they were thought to have no use in winemaking. That is, until the mid1800s when an enterprising man, named Ephraim Wales Bull, entered the scene.

A farmer from Concord, Massachusetts, Bull would claim his fame and fortune by turning unruly wild grapes into what is now found in jelly jars: the irrepressible Concord grape — a delicious royal purple variety with a benchmark flavor reminiscent of PB&Js and Big League Chew bubblegum.

Bull is credited with planting over 22,000 seedlings in a painstaking process of crossbreeding. In 1843, he discovered the Concord varietal, a hardy fruit that can stand up to brutal winter weather.

But even with the development of a grape that can withstand New England’s bitter cold and frost, the evolution of grape-growing in New Hampshire has rested on trial and error and constant innovation to produce a grape that is not only hardy but also rich and flavorful.

“The chemistry of red hybrid grapes was not so well understood,” says Brian Ferguson of Flag Hill Distillery & Winery. “The fruit would mature to 23 brix (roughly 23% sugar), complex at the beginning, but on day 100, there was no body.”

According to a study by Cornell University, hybrid grapes don’t hold the mouth-savoring body of a good wine, the essence known in the industry as tannins or the way the liquid actually feels when you drink it, often called “mouth feel.”

Body also has a component of balance, of how the sweetness plays with the acidity and the overall impression of the wine. Wine producers couldn’t make the bold red wines people were expecting, and to a great degree the New Hampshire wine movement suffered for it.

The choice to produce a wine in New Hampshire with distinctive flavor traces back to the 1980s when vinicultural explorations first began to unfold. Most Americans at this time (outside of some wine connoisseurs) were largely unaware of the international wine scene and grape production outside U.S. borders.

In 1982, Peter Oldak unceremoniously entered New Hampshire winemaking in South Hampton. Beginning with six plants, Oldak embarked on what might be the maiden voyage of New Hampshire winemaking at Jewell Towne Vineyards,

↑ Wines maturing in oak barrels in the cellar of LaBelle Winery.

← A small garden frames the overlook of the lower vineyard at LaBelle Winery.

↓ Pull up a seat and sample some of LaBelle's wines.

a winery that's expanding to almost 13 acres and serves a flavorful varietal with New Hampshire fruit. In 1985, three years after Oldak’s entry into the burgeoning wine market, Frank Reinhold Jr. took over his father’s property in Lee and launched Flag Hill Winery (now known as Flag Hill Distillery & Winery, a nod to the spirits it produces).

Looking back on early New Hampshire winemakers, Jason Phelps, wine writer and founder of Ancient Fire Mead & Cider, which operated in Manchester, says, “The first generation of owners were still there trying to get people to put the right grapes in the ground.”

But by the mid-'90s, winemakers were still perplexed about how to draw a complex and satisfying flavor from the grapes. The New Hampshire hybrid grapes, crossbred between native varietals and European transplants, produced a suite of flavors that were new, and not altogether pleasant, to wine drinkers who were familiar with the taste of classic varietals like chardonnay, pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon.

In 2010, Flag Hill began to turn the corner when its winemakers shifted attention from how to grow grapes to how to process the grapes in a way that produced flavor-filled wine.

“We started treating our estate-grown cayuga in the style of Germanic winemakers,” Brian Ferguson says. “Most folks don’t think much at all about fermentation, but process and yeast can make a huge impact on the end product.” Flag Hill winemakers experimented with fermentation techniques to maximize the flavors that hearty New Hampshire grapes could produce.

By fermenting the grapes at cold temperatures and stopping fermentation while some sugars are still left in the grapes (by lowering the temperature even more), the Flag Hill winemakers captured subtle aromatics that had been lost with other methods.

This approach leaves a little natural carbon dioxide, which produces a bit of bubbles like in soda and beer, but now was contained in New Hampshire wine. Like German wines, the bubbles add a hint of

↑ Flag Hill has won many awards for their white cayuga wine.

← Flag Hill owner Brian Ferguson makes an adjustment on the wine bottling machine.

↓ There's no bad seat in the house where you can sit and enjoy the views of Flag Hill's vineyard.

acidity and turn into a fine mist that goes straight to the nose, which processes the thousands of subtle and distinct smells.

Having finally discovered a way to bring the rich and nuanced flavor palate out of the grapes, Ferguson has stuck by his process: “By 2015, all of our white wines were being made with this methodology, to preserve the really delicate notes. From the time we break the berry after harvest, our grapes never get above 60 degrees Fahrenheit until after they reach the bottle, if ever.”

Even with the leap forward from getting the flavor out of New Hampshire grapes, Jason Phelps says, “The New Hampshire wine story will never be exclusive to grapes. It never has been. I think you have to drag in fruit, honey and maple sap. You can’t tell a Granite State wine story without that stuff.”

And that is precisely what Michael Fairbrother brought to the mix with the opening, in 2010, of Moonlight Meadery,

↑ Fairbrother picks fresh blueberries and raspberries at Moonlight Meadery.

→ Top right: Fairbrother and his wife, co-owner Bernice, enjoy mead with a charcuterie board.

↓ A family enjoys an afternoon meal at Over the Moon Farmstead in Pittsfield.

the first meadery in the state, which was well ahead of the national curve for mead production. Mead is honey wine, often with fruits added, with the advantage that the drink can be produced year-round because the key ingredients are always available.

The Fairbrothers’ meadery rests on the obvious: Winemaking is tough in this state. The biggest challenge to grape growers is the infrequency of opportunity — winemakers can only harvest and make wine once a year, perhaps twice a year if grapes are sourced from warmer climates.

If winemakers rely solely on the state’s grapes, the growers only have one season to produce a crop, which is a nail-biter given the unpredictability of the local climate. With year-round production, Moonlight can offer a wide variety, including simple hard apple cider in sixpacks to complex fruit- and spice-blended meads made with coffee, apples, raspber-

ries and too many local ingredients to list. And thanks to Fairbrother, mead in New Hampshire has taken a path to an elegant extreme. Moonlight Mead is the only New Hampshire wine sold in the “fine wine” section of our state liquor stores. The mead was aged in barrels that once were home to the now-defunct Sam Adams Utopia, a unique brew powered by a high-alcohol yeast strain that resembles cognac rather than the more familiar Boston lager. The yeast was still in the barrels where the mead was placed and where it stayed for 10 years, until it was carefully bottled and took its rightful place among distinguished wines.

While New Hampshire winemakers of today differ on individual philosophies and the best approach to winemaking, they all share a deep loyalty and allegiance to producing top-quality wines with top-quality ingredients. Along with nurturing and harvesting the grapes comes the necessity for maintaining stewardship

of the land, the community and the reputation of New Hampshire wines.

Like all Granite State growers who frequently offer events and gatherings, Rue and Sallie Nijhof at Birch Wood Winery understand the intricate connection between winemaking and community. Each year, the Nijhofs host a wine event to raise funds for CIBOR Cares, a nonprofit that assists organizations and individuals in need during emergencies.

Unlike other wine producers in New Hampshire that started solely for the purpose of growing grapes, the Nijhofs’ winery grew from a well-known fixture in the Derry community, having morphed from a the respected restaurant “Promises to Keep,” where locals gathered to celebrate or take a date in the mid-'80s.

Rue worked at the restaurant as a waiter part-time after graduating college in Europe, and he took his wife, Sallie, there on a first date. According to the couple, the meal was delayed, conversation went

on for hours, and, like something out of a modern day romcom, the two ended up happily married.

When the restaurant went up for sale, the couple bought it and Birch Wood Winery was born. Beginning as a wedding facility, the Nijhofs started out by trying their hand at winemaking at friends’ facilities.

Last year, Birch Wood Winery added an on-premise winery and barrel storage. Their focus is on bold California-style reds, made with grapes from Suisun Valley in California, with some white varietals sprinkled in.

The building sparkles and is surrounded by gorgeous grounds in a nod to the traditional California tasting room model, where curb appeal is essential to developing brand identity and placement.

LaBelle Winery and Flag Hill also host hundreds of events during the year and have become mainstays of their local communities, while building their respective brands and augmenting their bottom lines.

And Michael Fairbrother has positioned Moonlight Meadery as not only a

WOMEN IN WINE

well-known fixture in the community but also as a formidable distributor. Starting with a dream in a garage, Fairbrother and his wife, Bernice, have built an empire with world-wide distribution, global recognition and over 1,000 cases shipping out every month.

The tasting room at the Moonlight Meadery attracts busloads, which led to the recent purchase of “Over The Moon” farmhouse in Pittsfield.

The Fairbrothers envision a multiple-use facility with on-site meadmaking, a brewery and a restaurant, all with capacity for community events.

Today, with over 30 producers in the state, the wine industry has secured its roots in the Granite State.

Still, it’s hard to wrap your arms around exactly what is meant by “New Hampshire wine.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody succinctly identify what the New Hampshire wine identity actually is,” Jason Phelps says.

“Because our wine identity is so varied, it is a question that I think should remain unanswered.” NH

Historically, women have not been winemakers, with Hannah Weinberger being the first female winemaker in Napa Valley in the 1880s.

UC Davis has a world-famous wine degree program, and yet it wasn’t until 1965 when MaryAnn Graf was the first woman to receive an enology degree there. She was truly the first female winemaker of the modern era, and she went on to a glorious career, ending up at Simi Winery in Healdsburg, California. A 2020 study by Santa Clara University found that trends are slowly changing — 14% of California's more than 4,200 wineries have a female winemaker. Based on their research, female ownership or co-ownership represents at least 38% of California wineries.

Another study found that there were no female CEOs at wineries producing between 100,000 and 500,000 cases annually. Interestingly, at wineries producing 500,000 to 1 million cases per year, 25% of CEOs were women. The same study found that women were overrepresented in wineries in the areas of HR and marketing, but there was a disparity when you examine the number of women in operations, sales, viticulture and winemaking.

Considering that women purchase 85% of the wine sold in the U.S., these numbers are troubling. What can we as wine drinkers do about this? A few things, actually. Be vocal and have chats about this over a glass of wine with a friend. Grassroots efforts are often the best first step to change. When you visit wineries, ask about their makeup of their production and management staff. Have the difficult conversations. There are advocacy groups supporting women in wine (too many to list), but a great place to start is ifundwomen.com/projects/woman-owned-wineries-0. They are assembling a database of women-owned wineries,

and have some cool garb to help spread the word.

↑ Birch Wood owners Rue and Sallie enjoying their vineyard.

← Rue examining grapes arriving from California.

PHOTO BY JASON COREY PHOTOGRAPHY

MaryAnn Graf was a pioneer, widely considered to be California’s first female winemaker after Prohibition. Graf embraced science and an analytical approach to wine, a perspective that set her apart and served her well throughout her career.

MARYANN GRAF PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WOLCOTT FAMILY

603 Living

“Despite its silly terms and funny name, pickleball is actually quite a sophisticated game. It’s just super fun.” — Bill Gates, pickleball player for over 50 years

Hot in the ‘Kitchen’

As pickleball pushes 60,

fastest

sport is picking up converts

BY MIKE COTE PHOTOGRAPHY BY KENDAL J. BUSH

On a hot, sticky day in July, Jamie Parsons and Debra Haupt-Renaud Palmer challenged Dana Georges and Alan Burt to a game of pickleball on courts so new some of the fencing was still missing.

The women had already played nearly three hours that morning, so they were primed for play. The guys were trying out the game so a photographer could capture some action shots.

Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua recently converted two old tennis courts to six smaller ones for pickleball play, aiming to bank in on demand for the trendy sport.

Pickleball, which was invented nearly 60 years ago, was recently named the fastest growing “new” sport for the third year in a row by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, played by 8.9 million people in the United States over 6 years old.

Despite skyrocketing popularity, even USA Pickleball, the sport’s governing body, finds it necessary to lead its website with the primer, “What is pickleball?”

The sport combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, and, like tennis, is played both indoors and out, but on courts only 20-by-44 feet. Players bat a more durable version of a wiffleball across a net with medium-sized paddles.

the

growing “new”

Debra Haupt-Renaud Palmer and Jamie Parsons challenge Dana Georges and Alan Burt to a game of pickleball at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, which recently unveiled six new pickleball courts.

Phyllis Day, right, splits her time at New England Pickleball in Rye working the front desk and playing pickleball.

Karen Woonton of Boxford, Massachusetts, has been playing for years but keeps striving to improve her game with regular lessons.

“I never played tennis or badminton,” says Jamie Parsons, who has been playing three times a week since the courts opened in May.

Her husband, Rob, who bought Sky Meadow in 2021, considered replacing the tar courts with clay ones, but even the local tennis pro recommended pickleball.

“With pickleball, everybody can do it,” he says. “My 12-year-old daughter can kick our butt. And people are passionate about it. You can learn it in 10 minutes.”

While it might play like tennis on a smaller court, pickleball has its own set of rules, according to USA Pickleball (usapickleball.org).

• Only the serving team scores points.

• Games are played to 11 points, win by 2.

• There’s a two-bounce rule: When the ball is served, the receiving team must let it bounce before returning, and then the serving team must let it bounce before returning.

At New England Pickleball Club in Rye, the ball bounces inside. The six-court facility celebrated its first anniversary in August.

“I knew with the right location and the right space, done the right way, that it would work, because the sport has blown up so big,” says owner Dave Velardo, who started playing six years ago and is one of the club’s three pros.

Tony Manix, a retired 37-year veteran of the Air National Guard, alternates his time at the club playing pickleball and working the front desk part-time.

“A lot of people think, ‘Oh yeah, you just hit the ball back and forth.’ But when you really get down to it, there’s a strategy to it,” Manix says, as the sound of bats hitting balls echoed off the walls and high ceiling.

Pickleball has lingo as offbeat as its name. The section of the court closest to the net is the “kitchen.” Players trump opponents with an “Ernie,” or an “ATP.”

“An Ernie is when you’re playing at the kitchen, and you jump out off the court out of the red area — because you can’t be standing in the red area and hit the ball in the air — and you hit the ball in the air just as it’s coming over the net,” Manix says.

“With an ATP (around the pole), you can actually hit the ball around the outside of the net and, if it lands in on the other side, it’s good. It doesn’t have to go over the net.”

Exeter resident Phyllis Day, a realtor for the Dow Group, also divides her time at the

Dave Velardo opened New England Pickleball Club in Rye a year ago.

club between playing pickleball and working the front desk.

“They know that when they can’t find me, if I’m not working with a client, I’m at pickleball,” Day says between sets with her foursome.

Day enjoys the social connections she’s made through pickleball, which she tried for the first time when the Rye club opened. “There’s just a lot of laughing and interaction during the game,” she says.

Ted Welch, a former tennis coach, transitioned to pickleball after the Maine town opened courts and asked him to teach. Pickleball is easier on the knees.

“You know us baby boomer retirees — the joints are wearing out,” he says. “This is a smaller court to cover, a low-impact plastic ball.”

And the play is friendly. Former tennis players need to suppress their inner McEnroe. “I wouldn’t smash it at you, I would hit at your feet. The culture of it has a very positive etiquette,” Welch says. “It doesn’t mean you go easy on someone.” NH

Find It

Sky Meadow Country Club

6 Mountain Laurels Drive, Nashua

skymeadow.com • (603) 888-9000

New England Pickleball Club • 6 Airfield Drive Suite #102, Rye • nepclub.com • (802) 637-2582

Find public and private pickleball courts in New Hampshire at pickleheads.com, which lists 77 courts in the Granite State.

Top: Jamie Parsons plays pickleball with her children, Alexander, 6, and Amelia, 12, at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua. Bottom: Parsons and Debra Haupt-Renaud Palmer play a few times a week at the club.

ASK THE

Experts

You have spent most of your adult life creating wealth and assets for you and your family and if you are like most people, you probably believe that your final wishes will be carried out without much difficulty. Truthfully, those who fail to manage their estates and create rock solid are leaving themselves wide open to a plethora of troubles that will make it very difficult for your loved ones and others to receive what you intended. We reached out to four of New Hampshire’s most prestigious law firms to learn more about wills and estate planning and why they are critical to protecting your assets.

MEET THE WILLS AND ESTATE PLANNING EXPERTS:

Stephanie Thomson UPTON & HATFIELD

Amanda K. Steenhuis, Esq. SHAHEEN & GORDON, P.A., NASHUA

Laura T. Tetrault, Esq. SHAHEEN & GORDON, P.A., MANCHESTER

Brandon Vallie TRUSTS AND ESTATES DEPARTMENT MCLANE MIDDLETON

McLane Middleton

MCLANE.COM

QShould you create a health care power of attorney and financial power of attorney to help protect you in the event you become incapacitated?

AYes. In the event you are incapacitated and cannot make health care decisions for yourself, then the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care provides that your named health care agent(s) may make health care decisions for you. Your health care agent has broad authority to direct your health care treatment, provided their directions are consistent with their understanding of your desired treatment. Absent a valid Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, then your health care providers must identify and select a surrogate in a certain order of priority provided by New Hampshire statute and/or a family member may be required to seek guardianship over you. Similarly, the Durable General Power of Attorney (for finance) provides that, in the event of your incapacity, your named financial agent may sign all legal documents, and in effect, act in all capacities for you. Absent a valid Durable General Power of Attorney

Shaheen & Gordon

SHAHEENGORDON.COM

QWhat are the differences between a will and a trust?

ABoth a will and a trust are documents that provide direction for distribution of your assets after death. A will governs assets that are in your individual name (unless such assets pass through a beneficiary designation), and a trust governs assets retitled in the name of the trust. Assets distributed pursuant to a will are supervised by the probate court while assets titled in a trust bypass the probate process. Therefore, a trust is more private and offers your beneficiaries the flexibility to manage your assets according to a timeline that works for them, instead of the court deadlines.

QWhat happens to people’s estates when they do not properly execute a will or trust?

AWithout an estate plan, you are leaving the distribution of your assets in the hands of the 424 members of the New Hampshire legislative branch. NH RSA 561:1 outlines how your assets will be distributed if you do not execute a valid will or trust during your lifetime. Many people are surprised to learn that their spouse may not receive their entire estate under the default in-

(for finance), then a guardian must be appointed by the Probate Court and must report annually to the Probate Court. These legal proceedings are time consuming, invasive of your privacy, and sometimes costly. By having a Durable General Power of Attorney, this procedure can be avoided.

testacy laws. In fact, depending on which of your relatives predeceases you, it is possible that your inheritance will be distributed straight to the state of New Hampshire. Creating your estate plan will ensure that the people and entities you care about will inherit your estate according to your wishes. This is especially important if you want specific property or gifts directed to specific individuals, want to leave money to charity, are in a second marriage, or have minor children, or have children with special needs

— Amanda K. Steenhuis, Esq. Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., Nashua

Laura T. Tetrault, Esq. Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., Manchester

Upton & Hatfield

QWhat is the difference between a will and a trust? Why would I choose one over the other?

ALast Will and Testament: This document will transfer property owned by you, individually, at your death by use of the court probate transfer process. The will may include nomination of a guardian to be responsible for a minor’s or incapacitated heir’s personal care and/or assets.

The will may also include a testamentary trust for minors or incapacitated heirs to manage assets after death, and control and defer distribution of assets. Having a Last Will and Testament will help ensure that your assets are distributed in the manner you intend following your death.

Revocable Trust: This document, together with appropriate supporting and funding documents, will transfer property owned by the trust, at your death, without the court probate process. This generally means that your estate may avoid the cost and time delays associated with probate administration following your death.

In order to avoid probate, the trust must be funded during your lifetime by changing the title on most of your assets (bank and investment accounts, personal property, and real estate for example) from your individual name to the name of your revocable trust.

It is important to discuss these options with your legal and financial advisors to ensure you are choosing what is right for you and your estate.

— Stephanie Thomson Associate, Estate Planning Upton & Hatfield

Events

Editor’sChoice

for September

September 5

Hampton Beach Labor Day Weekend Fireworks

> End your Labor Day weekend festivities with a fireworks show at Hampton Beach. Walk the boardwalk, enjoy some Blink’s fried dough, bring a blanket and experience the magic of the night sky lit up by a beautiful fireworks display. Free. 9:30 p.m., Hampton Beach. hamptonbeach.org

September 8

Grateful Dub (Roots of Creation) > Enjoy a reggae tribute to The Grateful Dead at Portsmouth’s expansive Cisco Brewers. The band, Roots of Creation, are celebrating five years of their landmark The Grateful Dead tribute album. $25. 7 p.m., Cisco Brewers, 35 Corporate Drive, Portsmouth. ciscobrewers.com

September 8-10

34th Annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival

September 2-3

Exeter UFO Festival > Celebrating the reported Exeter UFO sighting (“The Incident at Exeter”) by Norman Muscarello in 1965, the town’s beloved extraterrestrial fest returns for its 11th year this Labor Day Weekend. Welcoming hardcore ufologists and mischief makers alike, the Exeter UFO Festival features accomplished speakers giving talks on the state of extraterrestrial research at the town hall, activities for kids of all ages (including an alien costume contest on Sunday) and plenty of little green guy merch. Free. Times vary, downtown Exeter. exeterufofestival.org

August 31-September 4

Hopkinton State Fair > New Hampshire has no shortage of storied fairs, and kicking off the season of fall agricultural fun is the 108-year-old Hopkinton State Fair. From demolition derbies and educational exhibits to livestock shows and decadent fried dough, this Labor Day Weekend tradition is fun for the whole family. $8-$45. Thursday 5 to 10 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Monday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hopkinton Fair Grounds, 392 Kearsarge Ave., Contoocook. hsfair.org.

September 9

Auburn Day & 30th Annual Duck Race > Each September, hundreds of people gather in beautiful Auburn to enjoy a family-friendly and fun-filled day to benefit the Auburn Historical Association. The cornerstone for this annual event is the famous duck race, which awards cash prizes for the 10 fastest ducks, including $1,000 for first place. Other event highlights include the Salmon Falls apple pie-baking contest, the pretty chicken contest, Duckling Dash 5K road race, plenty of New Hampshire artisans and vendors, food and more. Free. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Auburn Village, Hooksett Road, Auburn. auburnhistorical.org

Editor’sChoice

> Close out your summer with the granddaddy of all Granite State food fests. You likely know the drill at this legendary ode to oceanside eats, but if you need a reminder, here’s the gist: Fifty Seacoast restaurants offering up lobster, fried clams and other surf and turf favorites — plus skydiving demos, fireworks, a lobster roll-eating contest and three full days of season-ending boardwalk adventures. $8-$24. Friday 12 to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Ocean Boulevard, Hampton Beach. (603) 926-8718; seafoodfestivalnh.com

September 28-October 1

Deerfield Fair > At 146 years old, the season closes out with the oldest family fair in New England. Enjoy storied traditions like super pumpkin and squash weigh-offs, cattle pulls, horse shows, pig scrambles and more — not to mention magicians, high-flying circus acts, music, livestock demonstrations, 4-H events, square dancing and much more. $7-$12. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Deerfield Fair Grounds, 34 Stage Road, Deerfield. deerfieldfair.com

Editor’sChoice

Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre and more. $30-$35. 6 p.m., Nashua Center for the Arts, 201 Main St., Nashua. (800) 657-8774; nashuacenterforthearts.com

September 17

Star Island Gosport Regatta > All are invited to this open sailing race from Portsmouth Harbor to Gosport Harbor at the Isles of Shoals. Spectators are welcome to enjoy the sailing competition from the deck of M/V Thomas Laighton, Isles of Shoals Steamship Company. There will also be festivities after the race for the whole family, such as an award ceremony, delicious barbecue, music, kite festival, and games and activities for children. Prices vary. 9:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., Star Island, Isles of Shoals, Rye. (603) 430-6272; starisland.org/regatta

September 22

Pink Talking Fish > A hybrid tribute fusion act that combines music from Pink Floyd, The Talking Heads and Phish, Pink Talking Fish are rocking Plymouth’s esteemed Flying Monkey Movie House this September. $29-$69. 7:30 p.m., Flying Monkey Movie House, 39 South Main St., Plymouth. (603) 536-2551; flyingmonkeynh.com

September 23

September 15-17

Granite State Comicon > New Hampshire’s premier comic and pop culture festival returns for its 20th year. Drop by the DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown in Manchester to unite over your most ecstatic fandom, whether that’s listening to guest speakers like actors Sarah Myer and Jessie T. Usher, or digging the vendors and exhibitors set up in the hotel’s Expo and Armory areas. $15-$110. 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, DoubleTree by Hilton Downtown, 700 Elm St., Manchester. (603) 669-9636; granitecon.com

September 9

Wingzilla/Ribzilla > Head north for this annual food and fun fest, featuring a chicken wing and rib cook-off and a Hawaiian-themed ATV poker run, among other festivities. If you’re up for a particular brand of torture, sign on for Killazilla, a competition to see who can snarf down the most blazing hot wings. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Service Credit Union Heritage Park, 961 Main St., Berlin. androscogginvalleychamber. com/wingzilla

September 10

Fitzwilliam Police Association’s 8th Annual Car Show > Come on down for this small-town car show put on by Fitzwilliam’s Police Association. The show features a people’s choice award, and all cars are welcome. Free. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fleur de Lis Camp, 120 Howeville Road, Fitzwilliam. (603) 585-6565

September 14-17, 21-24

Granite State Fair (formally Rochester Fair) > Walk along the midway to take in the sights and sounds of the carnival rides, enjoy live music and other entertainment on the grandstand, learn about New Hampshire’s agrarian history with livestock shows and demonstrations, snack on all your favorite fair foods and experience some thrills with the school bus derby. $12. Fair and Midway opens at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and 12 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, 72 Lafayette St., Rochester. (603) 332-6585; granitestatefair.com

September 15-17

NH Highland Games & Festival > Heading north for this beloved fest, you could convince yourself that the mountains on the horizon are the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands — and once you hear the bagpipes and spot the sea of tartan on the festival grounds, you’ll really start believing it. Heavy athletics, dancing, music and arts are all on the docket, as are other fun festival activities. Prices vary. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, Loon Mountain Ski Resort, 60 Loon Mountain Road, Lincoln. (603) 229-1975; nhscot.org

September 16

Claremont Brewfest: Battle of the Brews > Dig the 9th annual combo brewfest and 5K race held by the Kiwanis Club of Claremont, where attendees can sample beers from more than 30 New England breweries and vote for your favorite. $10-$60. The VIP hour is from 12 to 1 p.m. with general admission from 1 to 4 p.m. Visitor’s Center Green, 14 North St., Claremont. claremontbrewfest.com

September 16

Be BRAVE Gala > Safe Haven Ballet returns to Nashua for its Be BRAVE Gala, a multi-arts evening raising money for crisis centers HAVEN, CCCNH and SHARPP. The gala showcases professional ballet, contemporary ballroom dancers, martial artists, musicians and more, with performing companies including the Saving Grace Dance Ensemble, Dance Prism, Quest Martial Arts Academy, Studio Be, Wyn Doran,

Fox Point Sunset Road Race > Runners who love to race but hate the break-of-dawn start times, this one’s for you. A 5-mile course winding through Newington Village and around Great Bay, this fundraiser for the Newington School Supporters is designed to align with the sunset — no 6 a.m. registration table in sight. Stick around after you’ve crossed the finish line, where a free post-race BBQ will be waiting to replenish those calories you just burned off. $10-$25. 5 to 7 p.m., Newington Old Town Hall, 336 Nimble Hill Road, Newington. newingtonschoolsupporters.org/fp5mabout

September 23-24

Portsmouth Fairy House Tours > The world’s largest fairy house tour is back for a weekend of magic. Peruse the enchanted fairy and gnome homes, watch a ballet, visit Pickwick’s Fairy Bazaar, take a photo in the fairy photobooth, add a bit of whimsy to your outfit at the fairy face-painting studio and more. $5-$35. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, Strawbery Banke, 14 Hancock St., Portsmouth. (603) 433-1100; strawberybanke.org

September 30

GRANITEER Festival > This festival is a one-of-a-kind outdoor lifestyle event that fuses industry and consumer interests with music, networking opportunities, family-friendly activities, local food and beverage vendors, and brand activations. This year, they are proud to host Joe Samba, a rising reggae rock artist from Salem, as the headline act. Coyote Island, the musical vision of Maine native Mike O’Hehir, will open for Samba. $45. 12 to 9 p.m., Dow Fields, 1 Academy St., Franconia. granitestateoutdooralliance.org

Find additional events at nhmagazine.com/ calendar. Submit events eight weeks in advance to Caleb Jagoda at cjagoda@nhmagazine.com or enter your own at nhmagazine.com/calendar. Not all events are guaranteed to be published either online or in the print calendar. Event submissions will be reviewed and, if deemed appropriate, approved by a New Hampshire Magazine editor.

PHOTO BY DAVID LOCKHART

Stay Connected

Stave off loneliness, boost physical and mental health with social interactions

BY KRYSTEN GODFREY MADDOCKS / ILLUSTRATION BY LANA LARSHINA

that many of her patients’ cognition had declined, or they were having more difficulty managing their medications. Patients also experienced more anxiety and challenges with mobility.

She says that families might not notice that their loved ones aren’t getting enough social interaction if they only talk to them once in a while or see them briefly. However, there are some warning signs, including:

• Depression

• Forgetfulness

• Difficulty with self-care (hygiene, etc.)

• Challenges with mobility

• Withdrawal from activities

• Difficulty interacting with other people

Quality Connections Matter

George Scholl, 74, of Keene, has spent the past seven years helping answer visitors’ questions at the information desk at Cheshire Medical Center, a Dartmouth Health member.

The role suits his outgoing personality. After retiring from a 40-year management career in the medical device industry, he wanted to find a way to feel useful again. Settled in a new condominium and newly divorced, he decided to explore volunteer opportunities.

“Working as a volunteer has been a lifesaver for me, because I don’t know how the loneliness would have affected me in the long run had I not sought volunteerism with both organizations,” Scholl says. “I feel like a Jekyll and Hyde in that my personality changes when I get to the hospital, and I am upbeat, cheerful and interactive with all the people I come into contact with. When I return to my condominium, I can feel the loneliness, but it is much less because of my volunteer jobs and the social aspects they provide me.”

Loneliness profoundly affects individuals’ mental and physical health, both in

New Hampshire and across the country. In May 2023, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a report calling attention to the public health crisis of social isolation and lack of connection across the United States.

Even before the onset of the pandemic, almost half of U.S. adults reported experiencing degrees of loneliness. The report states that the consequences of social isolation include a 29% increased risk of heart disease, a 32% increased risk of stroke and a 50% increased risk of developing dementia for older adults. The report states that a lack of social connection increases the risk of premature death by more than 60%.

Dr. Masooma Athar, medical director and section chief in the Department of Geriatrics at Elliot Senior Health, says she sees how loneliness affects her patients. Those with more active social lives — who belong to church groups, senior centers, exercise programs or are involved in their assisted living communities — fare much better than their socially isolated counterparts.

Particularly following the COVID isolation period, Athar says she noticed

Dr. Fuad Khan, a general psychiatrist overseeing behavioral and community health at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, part of Massachusetts General Brigham, agrees with Athar that the pandemic has exacerbated social isolation in the older population and among young people. Once COVID restrictions were lifted, most expected that people would rebound socially, but this has not been the case, Khan says.

“It actually hasn’t improved; it continues to decline,” he says.

Loneliness and isolation can also look different for different people. Even if someone appears to be connecting with friends and family regularly, if they perceive that they are lonely, they might be. At the same time, a person deeply connected to one friend might not perceive herself as lonely. The degree of connectedness people share is just as important as having family members around them or multiple connections.

“We also need specific connectedness, someone who we can speak to in confidence,” Khan says. “The more people you talk to and the greater variety of social connections you have, the better chance you have at having a well-rounded social circle.”

Khan cautions that while online connections still count, virtual connections can negatively affect socialization. He worries that if people don’t learn to put down their

phones and step away from social media, we could see a society of baby boomers who will face significant social isolation in the next five to 10 years.

“If social systems, backed by legislation and other groups, don’t talk together about where we are heading, we could see a calamity at some point,” he says.

Connecting Socially Isolated People

In response to the loneliness epidemic, the state of New Hampshire, in February 2022, issued a request for proposals to develop a program to reduce social isolation to prevent mental, emotional and physical decline for citizens over age 60 who identified as home-based or socially isolated.

The Partnership for Public Health was awarded a grant, funded through federal pandemic relief funds, to conduct a needs assessment, develop a website to promote New Hampshire senior programs and create social opportunities for seniors, according to Tina Goulet, a social worker and program manager for caregiver support and consumer-directed services for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services.

The Partnership for Public Health solicited ideas from individuals, adult protection services, law enforcement and Meals on Wheels to understand what people would be interested in, Goulet says. Beginning this fall, seniors and their families can find social opportunities across the state — in-person and virtual — at wellnesslink.org.

At the same time, the state’s AARP chapter recognizes the importance of connecting older adults with opportunities for social interaction. Christina FitzPatrick, state director of AARP in New Hampshire, echoed the Surgeon General’s finding that the long-term effects of social isolation are as harmful to an individual as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Retirement can put people at risk for loneliness if they don’t plan ahead.

“Transitioning from working full time to being retired can be a challenge for maintaining social connections since a lot of people do most of their socializing at work,” she says. “It’s important to think ahead and identify how you are going to build and maintain relationships and involvement in your community when you’re no longer working.”

In addition to volunteering, Scholl spends

time going out to dinner with friends and attending club meetings. He says the staff, patients and visitors he meets at Cheshire Medical Center give him a feeling of importance that would not exist if he were isolated at home.

“I often hear people say, as they approach retirement, that they have so much to do and that it will take years to get it all done,” he says. “But for many, they need something more, and volunteering is one way to do it.” NH

Find It

New Hampshire seniors can visit aarp.org/local to find free events and volunteer opportunities in their area. Sometimes, lonely adults benefit from hearing a friendly voice on the other end of the line. AARP offers a person-to-person calling program for those who like talking to others through their Friendly Voice program.

AARP also offers a virtual community center, virtual fitness and technology classes and articles that identify free- or low-cost activities you can do to combat loneliness.

Think you or a loved one might benefit by forming more social connections? You can take a quiz to see if you’re at risk of social isolation by visiting the AARP Foundation’s Connect2Affect website.

Rocks in Our Heads

Asked what crop the soil of New Hampshire is most suited for, the astute Yankee replies:“Rocks.”

It’s rocks that rise in the garden each spring. You can hoe ’em out and toss ’em to the side, but next spring (every spring) they’ll be back. They just keep coming. We are, after all, the Granite State. Our symbol is, after all, the (late) Great Stone Face.

In an ancient tale, the newcomer notices a hay field littered with rocks too big to hoe out and set aside. Boulders, in fact. “Where’d all those boulders come from?” the newcomer asks the local.

“The glacier brought ’em.”

“Oh,” says the newcomer, intrigued. “Where’s the glacier now?”

“Guess it went back for another load.”

At the select board meeting, a resident walks in lugging a rock. Good sized. It’s about all he can do to move it from the door to the select board table, where he deposits the rock with a thud.

“Aren’t you people in charge of maintaining roads?” the resident says, irate. “My road’s a mess. This gawldum rock poked up in the middle of it months ago —

bent a rim, snapped an axel. I’m gawldum sick and tired of driving around it.”

“Well,” says the board chair, mildly. “Looks like you’re not driving around it anymore.”

I’ve long contended that you don’t have to be born Yankee (five generations in the ground, pie for breakfast) to be Yankee. If you spend enough time in New Hampshire, this rocky old place adopts you. You become Yankee. Yankee is an attitude.

Case in point: A granite slab fell from a retaining wall. Too big — 2-by-2-by-6 feet — to be moved by hand, so the owner hired a local builder to come by with his backhoe and return the slab to its rightful place.

“Sure,” the builder says. “I’ll be over on Wednesday.”

True to his word, a year later the builder and his backhoe show up on a Wednesday and return the slab to its rightful place.

“Thanks very much,” the owner says. “I’ll be over on Wednesday with your money.”

That’s Yankee attitude.

I grew up in a small house on a rocky patch of land halfway up a long, steep hill (or halfway down, depending on how you looked at it). As the family grew, my parents

improved the house and added on a cellar, a bedroom, a living room and a garage.

This required a lot of digging, which my father seemed to enjoy. He used the shovel and grub hoe method. When he came upon a boulder too big to move, he’d say: “I may not be able to out-muscle this rock, and I probably won’t outlast it, but I’m pretty sure I can outsmart it.”

The same could be said of the legendary Bill Twombley of Wakefield. Like my father, Bill used the hammer and chisel method — wedges, half rounds, feathers — to outsmart rocks. To split a rock with a feather — that’s really something. Bill could. You pound long enough, hard enough, steady enough in the right place on any rock, it’ll give eventually.

Bill used to demonstrate the art of rock-splitting at the New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton. The audience would gather. Bill would place his wedges and feathers. Then, he says, “Just as the rock is about to split, I tell them, ‘Now you’re going to see something no one has ever seen before.’”

One more strike of the hammer...and there it is. Something no one has ever seen before: the inside of a rock. NH

BY REBECCA RULE / ILLUSTRATION BY PETER NOONAN

Care ties us together.

Good health is the thread that runs through our lives each day and Dartmouth Health has always been a part of that. With thousands of the brightest minds providing world-class treatments throughout our communities.

We are neighbors treating neighbors, bringing compassionate care to New Hampshire, Vermont and beyond.

The best, where it matters most.

dartmouth-health.org

Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital I Cheshire Medical Center I Dartmouth Hitchcock Clinics Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center I Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center I New London Hospital Southwestern Vermont Medical Center I Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire In partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine.