December 31, Wolfeboro. First Night is a community-wide alcohol-free celebration of the performing arts that began in Boston in 1976 and now takes place in over 200 cities in the U.S., Canada and other nations. This year’s theme, “Starry, Starry Night,” was inspired by the Van Gogh painting of the same name. Festivities include a parade, ice sculpture, live entertainment,…
January 9, Concord. It started as the 1984 hit movie starring Kevin Bacon, moved to Broadway in 1999 and now it’s coming to the stage in New Hampshire. The show’s classic 80s hits include “Holding Out for a Hero,” “Almost Paradise,” “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” and of course, the unforgettable “Footloose.” Tickets are $35, $45, $60 and $75….
December 25, New Castle. Festive Christmas Dinner in the beautiful Wentworth and grand dining rooms is served from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., or enjoy the festive Christmas brunch in the Wentworth Dining Room, served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $44.95 per person and $16.95 for children under 12. Stay Christmas Eve or Christmas Night, with…
In these cold winter months there’s still plenty to do outside — skiing, skating, snowshoeing — the list goes on and on. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to stay inside where it’s cozy, dry and warm, safe from freezing winds and slippery ice. But what do you do? Watch TV? Read? Sitting still gets old, and unless you’re an extreme boardgame…
Cringing whenever my Supercuts stylist asks if I want mousse or hair gel, I will never be confused with a metrosexual. So needless to say, I was shocked by how eager I was to charge into Kim’s Spa & Nails for my first pedicure. Located in a Derry strip mall, the salon lures me inside with a bizarre group of…
His theatrical parents own Ballard’s Novelty and Party store in Concord, so he grew up surrounded by costumes and larger-than-life characters. Naturally he found his way onto the stage, mostly for local musical theatre companies. But his most recent performance is a bit like a high-wire act, balancing his time between working as a computer consultant and singing baritone for…
When a book has 66 pages of footnotes to document the research contained therein, you know you can look forward (or not) to a wide-ranging examination of a topic. Indeed, that’s what you get with Jim Rubens’ new book, “OverSuccess: Healing the American Obsession with Wealth, Fame, Power and Perfection.” Rubens, a Hanover “angel investor” who served in the N.H….
What better way to soothe our sorry souls than with a hot bowl of soup? A nourishing bowl of steaming vegetables in a full-bodied broth warms the hands and the heart, too. Soup making itself is therapeutic – chopping vegetables can relieve tension and the aroma that fills the house is better than any aromatic plug-in. As the poster food…
As a writer, words are my tools but also, sometimes, my weakness. For instance, I tend to describe people whom I like or admire as “characters.” I think the term suggests they play fascinating roles in life, but sometimes I’ve been called on it. Once, I wrote a story on a fringe gubernatorial candidate who had died after years of…
Brian Mitchell starts dragging the strings of Christmas lights out of storage — the attic, the basement, multiple closets and an 8’ x 10’ shed — sometime in October. Then come the waving Santas, the plastic light-up figures, the blow molds, the animated dolls, the working carousel, the wire frame train, the “Merry Christmas” sign and, of course, the reindeer….
